Zach's Way of Things  CMH in Zach's POV
by DemiSpy
Summary: CMH in Zach's POV... What was going through his mind? What we see in CMH is his mask... I wanna see under it.  First Fic!  R&R!  Zammie will be mostly Zach's thoughts. I go straight by the book. Complete Jul.13.11 Edited version posted 8.11.11.
1. An Announcement, An Op, and A Surprise

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Ally Carter owns.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

An Announcement, An Op, and A Surprise

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><p>I kept on wondering what on earth was going on.<p>

You see, when a certain person -spy- named Joe Solomon comes out of nowhere to the Blackthorne Institute for Boys, it doesn't take a genius to know something's on.

But the most confusing part was that, he arrived at 1:33 am.

How do I know this? The only answer I'm giving you is I'm a spy.

Spy.

I go to spy school, my mom's a spy, my dad used to be a spy until he went MIA when I was four, and I'm the best in my class –no, scratch that. I'm the best in the school.

Jealous much?

Next piece of info you're getting on me, my name's Zachary Goode. Teachers call me Mr. Goode, and my friends call me Zach. I have a thirty-two aliases registered with the CIA, NSA, MI-6, MI-5 blah, blah, blah, and three aliases only known to those on which I've used them.

I know names of countries that -for you- don't exist. I know how to speak languages that are thought extinct. I can steal every item in your house with duct tape, a bubble gum wrapper, and toenail clippers.

I am a _very _good spy.

So that's the reason I just knew something was going on, but I didn't know what.

Not knowing gets me really ticked off.

I sighed as I sat on my bed, looking out my dorm window towards the mountains that surrounded my school. Blackthorne was not registered anywhere as a school, so we hardly ever got visitors. We are located something around a 10 hour drive from Roseville, Virginia, far off into the mountainside.

My school is for spies, spies keep secrets.

So does this place.

I heard Grant -my roommate- mumble something like "uh-huh" in his sleep, and laughed silently. Grant is -as the obnoxious stares of every girl that sees him point out- the exact replica of your average Greek god. He's strong, good-looking (or so I've been told) and he uses his brains whenever he feels like it.

But he's cursed with the worst sleepwalking-snoring-sleep talking problem ever known to man.

My other roommate Jonas is your average cool nerd. No offense, but hacking the CIA database in record time at age 6 has got to give you some serious rep.

As for me, I'm the guy no one can read.

So I won't ruin that reputation by giving out info on me, now will I?

I stole a glance at the clock. 4:38 am.

I won't answer why I was up so late, but I'll give credit to my findings of Joe Solomon to it.

End of description people, I've got to snooze.

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><p>That morning, I woke up to a door being slammed shut.<p>

I always thought of Grant as half-girl, but I found my theory proved every morning when he had what I called his 'bathroom time'. Poor, ever so stupid, Grant.

"What's his problem?" I asked Jonas.

"Nothing, the guy's mad 'cause he can't find his phone."

I'd always wondered why Grant had a cell phone, I mean I had one, but I hadn't used it in ages. It was pocket litter for CoveOps, but that's it. I figured he had it to keep pictures of all his countless ex-girlfriends.

Come to think of it, he didn't have that many… or did he even have any? Being locked up in Blackthorne tends to do these sorts of things to you. Hmm, I'll have to do some research on that.

"Whatever," I said and got out of bed. "Time?"

"Six am."

"Goodnight" I said. I've always been a bit of a sleepyhead.

"Good morning!" Grant said as he walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Forgot to mention, he has the world record of fast-showers.

I think his "bathroom time" consists of his hair and nothing else.

"Sheesh," I muttered. "A guy can't sleep here?"

"Not at six am," Grant said as he threw me a pillow. I, naturally, avoided it.

"Whatever," I said.

I headed into the shower, knowing this was going to be a long day.

We left for breakfast, and found Joe Solomon in the hallways.

Now, I never lose an opportunity to amaze him with spy skills, so I said: "Mr. Solomon, is there any difference between getting here at reasonable hours and 1:33 am?"

Joe Solomon is a very good spy.

So he just nodded and said: "Yes, there is Zach."

And he walked away.

My roommates gaped at me.

"How did you-" Jonas started.

"Spy," I said, pointing to myself.

We walked to breakfast, my roommates rolling their eyes, while I was thinking about what on earth would bring Joe Solomon here.

I got my answer 900 seconds later.

"Attention students!" Mr. Steve said. We all quieted down.

"Excellent!" he said, and we all groaned. But of course, our headmaster kept his face sunny side up.

"I have an announcement to make."

_Yeah no kidding_, I thought.

"Blackthorne is proud to be the guest of the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women for a small exchange this semester!"

At the word 'women' half the school went nuts.

I sighed, and went back to my cereal while Mr. Steve gave out explanations and details on the trip.

"Spy school for girls huh?" Grant said.

"No, spy school for sharks," I said sarcastically. "Or do you have a better meaning to the word women?"

"Shut up," Grant said, rolling his eyes.

"Nope," I said.

"I wonder what the place is like" Jonas said.

"I wonder why it's important enough for Joe Solomon to break in here at 1:33 am" I said.

Grant was about to say something when I cut him off. Mr. Steve seemed to be saying something interesting.

"-field trip to get acquainted with these young ladies. Only sophomores though. We leave for Virginia tomorrow, so pack up!"

"Oh yeah," I said once we heard the details of what we'd be doing. "This'll be fun."

Grant and Jonas grinned at me, and we headed to our first class.

I had a good feeling about tomorrow.

I'm gonna skip the rest of that day's events and move on to the next morning, due to the fact that the only thing going on were rumors. I know, rumors, at an all guys' school?

Anyways, that morning I simply followed my normal routine, and my roommates followed my lead, more or less. I was curious about this school, and about its inhabitants naturally, but I was Zach. I was not going to let that show.

I'd had my mask ever since I got here, knowing my life would be completely different.

Ever since mom…

Never mind. I'd left that part of me behind.

After breakfast we headed outside with our suitcases, and crammed them all into a van. Then we got into the chopper that was waiting for us on the eastern side of the woods.

Once we were all inside, the real action started.

"Gentlemen, I expect only the best from you today. Fail me, and share the consequences," Solomon said.

He started handing out folders.

"These are the codenames of each of the young ladies you will be tailing, along with an image. Be aware of their strengths, keep in mind their weaknesses. Because they are not listed there."

_Dramatic much, Solomon?_

Once I got my folder I opened it up, finding two pages of what seemed to be evapopaper inside. They had a list of names on one side with arrows pointing to its image. The pictures had the eyes covered in a black line -like always- and they were in black and white.

I ran down the list of names. They were by alphabetical order. They weren't names though, they were codenames. Aliases. _Covers_.

Bookworm

Was it my imagination or did I see Jonas smile as soon as he read the first name on the list? I saw in the picture a petite girl with straight hair with a few curls at the end. She smiled timidly. Oh yeah, definitely Jonas' type.

Chica

Dylan Reed was definitely smirking. He liked exotic names. Though, chick or small in Spanish weren't my definition of exotic… but that's just me.

Chameleon

Chameleon? Pavement artist. Easy to deduct. To get that kind of codename she'd better be good. I glanced at the picture. Wavy hair, plain face, fair skin, and small lips. The girl was a perfect average. Easy to blend in when you look like that.

Duchess

Duchess? Seriously? These girls had a strange imagination. I looked at the picture as well. You didn't need to see her eyes to see she was Grant's female version. I'm pretty sure Grant was thinking that too.

The list went on and on with weird names. I bumped into one named 'Paparazzi' and had no doubt she was the gossip leader of the place.

Fifteen girls total. There were seven of us. Nice going Gallagher, but they'd better be good.

"We're here gentlemen. Please leave your folders in that stack over there, and go ahead. The Gallagher Academy will be here shortly. Get acquainted to your surroundings. Go in pairs, teams, whatever, but don't get caught. Comms units are in that box. Do not fail," Solomon said as he opened the door.

I got out with Grant. Jonas was on the Research and Operations track, so he was going to stay inside someplace with lots of computers keeping track of all our moves. Who knew? Maybe that Bookworm person would be stuck with him there. The idea made me laugh.

We grabbed comms units and went ahead, going nowhere in particular, just exploring. I saw a lot of stares directed at my muscular friend, and somehow knew he'd just blow our cover.

"Dude, ever tried to let someone else in the spotlight?" I asked him.

"Nope," was his only answer.

Thought so.

We headed inside the museum, -yeah, I said museum, we were at the National Mall. Those girls were going to have fun.

We kept walking around, until we heard a voice in our ears that was undoubtedly Mr. Solomon's saying: "Gentlemen, the Gallagher Academy has arrived. Your task has begun. Do. Not. Fail."

"He's really freaked about us failing huh?" I told Grant.

"Oh, _really_? I hadn't noticed," he said overdoing the sarcasm.

We walked around and almost immediately found some girl with a sky blue plaid uniform. Too easy.

"Mr. Solomon, I have compromised a suspicious looking subject. Wavy blond hair with brunette streaks" I said.

"Very well Mr. Goode." I heard him mumble something like: "Ms. Morrison, you have been compromised.

"This is just too easy" I said to Grant as we watched the girl walk back to the parking lot.

Half an hour passed, and I heard a few more of my classmates mutter descriptions of girls into the comms units. So far, we had eight girls down. Plain too easy.

Then the problems started.

"Mr. Reed you have been compromised." Solomon said.

"Mr. Heath you have been compromised."

"Mr. Mill you have been compromised."

What? Three out of seven compromised within ten minutes?

Then I heard over my comms unit Solomon say something, probably into the girls' comms: "Excellent work Chameleon."

Just like that I knew I was facing a pro.

We walked around for a while, until we found two girls in a school group. But we noticed that no matter how well they blended in, their uniforms were a bit different.

We followed them.

We sat on a park bench and two minutes later they came by alone. We recognized one alright; the one Grant had been staring at in the picture. We decided not to bust them yet.

We followed the around for a while, and then they split.

So we split too.

And ten minutes later I heard: "Mr. Newman you have been compromised."

I sighed and followed my target. Scratch that, I_ tried_ to follow my target. She'd vanished.

I cursed under my breath and kept walking.

I bumped into a lot of people, trying to get an excuse to stop and scan the area, but only managed to have myself pushed into the elevator. I was pushed a little _too _hard and pressed my hand to the elevator button, beating another one to it.

I turned to see who it was.

I found my target.

"Hey" I said, trying to not have my mouth hang open –just an expression though, that would never happen to me.

Let me explain. One, I knew my target was the famous Chameleon. Two, I found myself staring at her beautiful blue eyes. Three, I found out that she was staring at me with a confused look. She pushed the button again for some reason.

"Hi," she said, just as the elevator opened.

I went inside and rested against the railing, studying her. Dirty blonde, straight but slightly waved hair, almost brown. About my height but slightly shorter, and a calm expression.

Definitely a pavement artist.

"So…" I said pointing to the crest on her coat. "The Guggenheim Academy," I almost laughed at my own joke. "Never heard of it."

"Gallagher Academy," she corrected. "Well, that's my school."

The elevator just kept moving.

"You in a hurry or something?" I asked.

"Actually, I'm supposed to meet my teacher at the ruby slipper exhibit, I've only got 20 minutes, and he'll kill me if I'm late."

"How do you know?" I said. Solomon didn't say to meet him anywhere…

"Because he said so."

"No, how do you know you've only got 20 minutes? You're not wearing a watch," I said, trying to hide my smirk.

"My friend just told me."

_Oh, she's good_, I thought_. But not good enough._

"You fidget a lot," I suddenly blurted.

She stared at the elevator buttons.

"I'm sorry, I have low blood sugar. I need to eat."

Nice lie.

I took out the M&M's I'd been eating during the ride, which had been forgotten in my pocket.

"Here, I ate most of them already," I said.

"Oh, um, that's okay. Thanks," she said, blushing a light pink.

I was having some serious trouble hiding my smirk.

"Okay then."

The doors dinged and she hurried outside. "Thanks for the candy!" she said.

_You're not getting rid of me that easily._

I followed.

She spun around and said: "Where are you going?"

I looked at her and smiled innocently. "I thought we were going to meet your teacher at the wonderful world of Oz."

"We?"

"Look," I said as serious as I could. "It's dark, you're by yourself, and this _is_ DC. And you've only got fifteen minutes to meet your teacher."

Whoa. I felt the elevator ride much longer than five minutes. But my internal clock never lies.

"Fine," she said. She walked really fast, almost trotting. When I pointed that out, she didn't answer.

"So do you have a name?" I asked. The only way I could identify her was Chameleon or 'elevator girl'.

"Sure. Lots of 'em" she said.

I held in a smirk. A lot of covers? Nice.

Then I got a hilarious idea. "Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked her.

She turned around and said: "Look, thanks for the chivalry and all, but it really isn't necessary. It's just up here, and there's a cop over there."

Well, the boyfriend comment must've ticked her off. "What? You think a cop can protect you better than I can?" I said. I was trying too hard not to laugh.

"No, I think that if you don't leave me alone, I can scream, and that cop will arrest you."

I stepped away and smiled, unable to hold that back.

She smiled too and started walking away, then said: "Hey, thanks anyway."

I nodded, and when she was out of sight, I took a small shortcut to the slipper exhibit.

I arrived there with Solomon, and said: "I got you something."

"And what could that be?" Solomon asked.

I pointed to the stairs, and hid a bit. Dramatic entrances are my favorites.

I heard Solomon say: "You're four seconds late."

"But I'm alone" she protested.

"No you're not."

That was my cue. I came out of my hiding place, and said casually: "Hey there Gallagher Girl."

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Welcome to the story! Whether you're re-reading, or you just found it, it's nice to see you in my hits chart! (or my e-mail, if I get lucky :P)**

**Just to let you know, what you're reading is the _edited _version of this story. It used to be 17 chapters long, not 10. But I fixed it up a bit, putting short chapters together, fixing spelling and grammar, taking out my mile long ANs (seriously, they were LOOONG) and such. **

**I did leave my goodbye AN at the ending though, I just _had _to. :P**

**So... I hope you like it! And I hope you stick with me through the other books (which, as I write this AN, I have not started :P)**

**R&R! **

**-DemiSpy.**


	2. Compromised, Excellence, and Dancing

**Disclaimer: Anything Ally Carter owns isn't mine.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Compromised, Excellence, and Dancing

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><p>"Nice work Zach," Solomon told me.<p>

I winked at Miss Chameleon, who just happened to be standing there with her mouth open.

Then I realized her mouth was open because it was making sounds.

"Hey there, Blackthorne Boy," she said.

Now _my _mouth was gaping open. Solomon blinked.

Then I smirked at her again. No small wonder the school was for 'exceptional' young women.

_They got that part right_, I thought.

"Very good Ms. Morgan," Solomon said. "But still not good enough."

_Ms. Morgan_'s face went completely red.

At least now I had her last name. She had my first.

Okay, why not?

She glared at me. "You mission was… what? To stop us from achieving our mission?" she asked me.

I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow. "Something like that," I said. "I thought I could just make you late for the meeting. I never thought you'd drag me halfway here, let alone tell me where it was."

Then, as if on cue, a crowd of people came out the elevator that was on my right. Chameleon Morgan was taken by Solomon through the crowd, towards the door. I went straight into the elevator, hiding next to the buttons.

I saw her look back through the mirrored walls of the elevator.

"We'll meet again," I said to myself, and pressed the button.

We got back into the chopper, though this time with Mr. Steve, as Solomon left with the girls.

I told my story while hearing the others tell what they'd done.

Half of us had been compromised by some girl who called herself "Chameleon".

I called her 'elevator girl with beautiful blue eyes'.

Not that I was going to say that to anyone.

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><p>We arrived. Just not at school.<p>

Well, not at _our _school.

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women looked nothing like Blackthorne.

The place's cover -as we were told while being guided to our dorms- was to be a snotty boarding school for rich girls whose daddies couldn't find any other place for them.

Wow, a bit too overdone isn't it?

The place was elegant, classy, and old.

Just the way Dr. Steve liked it.

"Excellent!" he kept on saying as some old lady who introduced herself as Professor Buckingham -did she come from Buckingham Palace?- told us about the school history, classes, teaching methods, cover, etc.

I found it all just right, except for the fact that this teacher was putting me to sleep.

We left our stuff at our dorms –we almost got to share with Dylan since Jason's room was completely crowded and the seventh graders needed space… though Jonas, Grant and I eventually got our own dorm.

We all gathered around Dr. Steve, he told us some speech about making friends and not looking too much at the girls -I don't think I need to describe Grant's reaction-, etc.

Then we got to some really big doors that had to open into the room where everyone was having dinner. The Grand Hall, as Professor Buckingham explained.

Then the doors suddenly opened.

Dr. Steve went to the back, wanting to be the last. Dramatic much?

Every single head turned to us. Forks clattered against the floor. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened.

I smirked.

We stepped inside as the headmistress -some really hot lady that reminded me of a certain someone with blue eyes- gave us a 'warm welcome' and explained the history of the school, how it had always been just for girls and so on and so forth.

I hid my laughter the best I could when Headmistress Morgan -yep, definitely her mom- tried to refer to Dr. Steve as _Dr. Sanders._

I stood at the edge of where we were all standing, noticeable to everyone. Not that I minded, I was looking for something.

_Someone_, some stupid voice in my head said.

Then I found them, those beautiful blue eyes staring at me. I crossed my arms, leaned against some table, smirked and winked.

_I'll never forget that tone of pink_, I thought to myself when I saw her blush up to the roots of her hair.

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><p>The next day we were guided to our first class, which happened to be COW. Mr. Smith taught it, and I just knew he was the most paranoid person ever to live. Get a life dude.<p>

We stood by the doors, Grant, Jonas, and I. The rest of the sophomore class got a different schedule than us, because there wasn't much room to fit us into the classes.

Or at least that's what we were told.

"Good morning ladies," Dr. Steve said as he opened the door, grinning.

"Can I help you Dr. Sanders?" Mr. Smith said coldly.

"Dr. Steve, please. I was just walking my star students to class, and your class happens to be the first on their schedule." He paused and thought for a moment. "Say, have we met before?"

"No, I don't believe we have" Mr. Smith said with a certain edge to his voice.

They got into some conversation, but I didn't pay much attention to them. I scanned the room, and found that dirty blonde hair I'd been looking for. I smirked, and she rolled her eyes.

_Nice_, I thought.

When I came back to reality, Jonas was introducing himself. He was pulling at his tie –newfound torture, since at Blackthorne we don't use these crazy torture machines you call uniforms. I didn't mind, and Grant actually liked them, but Jonas had been going crazy on it all day.

"-show him around?" I heard Dr. Steve saying.

Some girl cried out something like "Humph!" as I heard a chair being kicked. Not that Mr. Steve noticed.

"Excellent" he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Jonas, you can spend the day with Ms…" he trailed off.

"Sutton, Liz Sutton."

James Bond fan much? I recognized her as the girl whose codename was 'Bookworm'.

"Excellent!" I groaned along with Grant.

Grant introduced himself and then sat next to Ms. Rebecca 'Duchess' Baxter, who just happened to pick that moment to toss the bangs out of her caramel eyes.

"I'm Zach," I said. I didn't wait for a response because I already saw some nervous hands go up. "And I think I've found my guide."

I slid into the seat next to Ms. Chameleon Morgan, and heard a faint: "Excellent!"

For once I agreed with the guy.

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><p>After class, I took the opportunity to watch those blue eyes roll.<p>

"So, we meet again" I said.

I looked around, seemingly checking out the place, but I was only trying to cut my gaze from her. I succeeded.

"So _this_ is the famous Gallagher Academy," I said.

"Yes," she answered calmly. "This is the second-floor corridor. Most of our classes are down this hall."

I didn't pay attention. I was just staring at that annoyed face.

"And you're…. the famous Cammie Morgan," I said.

I found out her first name when her dear friend Rebecca called her that.

She just rolled those beautiful eyes of hers and said: "C'mon, I'll show you to Culture and Assimilation."

"Whoa," I said. "You're taking me to culture class?" A mocking smile refused to stay hidden.

"Yes," she said and kept walking.

"When they say you've got the toughest curriculum in the world, they mean it."

"Culture and Assimilation has been part of the Gallagher curriculum for more than a hundred years Zach. A Gallagher Girl can blend into any culture –any environment. Assimilation isn't a matter of social graces, it's life and death."

She said it so matter-of-factly, I was starting to think she was going to bore me to death.

We entered the classroom, which just so happened to be painted pink, and heard the teacher say: "Today, ladies and gentlemen, we are learning the art of dance!"

I contained my laugh, leaned down on Cammie's ear and said: "Yeah. Life. And. Death."

The teacher started speaking again.

"I have been saving this very special class for the arrival of our very special guests," the teacher continued.

"See that?" I whispered into Cammie's ear. "I'm special."

"That's a matter of-" Cammie started, but was cut off by the teacher saying: "Oh, Cameron dear, would you and your friend like to demonstrate for the rest of the class?"

I cannot believe I managed to resist the temptation of laughing at Cam's expression.

The teacher then acknowledged me and said: "You must be Zachary Goode. Welcome to the Gallagher Academy. Now, I must ask you to place your right hand firmly in the center of Cameron's lower back."

I followed the instructions, laughing hysterically in my mind at Cammie's expression.

"Okay now, everyone find a partner" Madame Dabney -the teacher- said and started giving around instructions.

I think I was a little carried away looking into Cammie's eyes, that beautiful shade of blue just had to be a crime, but I suddenly realized Cammie was holding my hand.

"What's wrong Gallagher Girl?" I said, regaining composure. "You're not actually mad about yesterday are you?"

Of course she was mad. That was an easy guess.

I just smirked at her as she didn't answer. "It was a cover Gallagher Girl. An op. Maybe you're familiar with the concept?"

Just then, Madame Dabney came over to us and said: "Hold your partners tightly," and pushed me closer to her –not that I minded.

Then we were dancing.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**There's chapter 2! **

**Hope you liked it!**

**R&R!**

**-DemiSpy**


	3. Talks, Brush Passes, Thinking, Mask

**Disclaimer: Anything Ally Carter owns isn't mine.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

A Few Talks, Several Brush Passes, A Lot of Thinking, and A Mask Falling

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><p>Ever since Blackthorne got here, rumors have been going on at a decently fast rate. I mean, girls are commonly recognized for gossiping, right? But personally, I thought <em>spy <em>girls were _anything_ but normal.

Guess I was a bit wrong.

I was talking about this at breakfast with Solomon, until he asked me something I seriously didn't want to answer.

"Goode, be careful," he said sternly.

"About what?" I asked, ignoring his rock-like expression.

He pointed to the girls' table where Cam and her friends were sitting, and in that very moment I could've sworn I heard Tina Walters say: "_Ne _Cammie, Zach_ donattenno?"_

Which was basically asking if something was going on between me and Cam. I heard Cam gasp or something and it took a lot of self-control to hide my smirk. I noticed Mr. Solomon studying her reaction, and I did so too, trying really hard not to end up staring at the way light reflected on her dirty blonde hair.

I turned back to Solomon and found him studying _me _now.

_Oh man,_ I thought. _I was not staring at Cam's hair, I was not staring at Cam, I was not…_

"Mr. Goode, I warn you, these girls are much more than what they seem and are not to be treated as one of your, or Mr. Newman's now that I think about it, _projects_."

I could've sworn he was telling me not to try and go out with Cam.

Like I ever listen to the guy.

But instead of letting my mask fall, let me into a bunch of trouble, and a lot of annoying comments from my roommates, I simply said: "Duh."

Solomon gave me a warning look and walked away.

By the time I turned back Cam was gone.

I've never questioned Solomon or anything of the sort, and today's CoveOps class was no exception. He walked in, calm as ever, pulling on a leather jacket. He nodded to us and led us outside, and into a van.

I sat next to Solomon, perfectly calm.

The whole while, Dr. Steve had been making comments on how Mr. Solomon had trained the girls so well and blah, blah, blah… honestly, the guy can't stand a day without saying "excellent" at least thirty times.

Long story short: A quarter. Brush passes. Roseville. Thirteen trained spies (eight girls, five guys). Cam was my partner.

This was going to be interesting.

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><p>Outside, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and a cool breeze passing by. I walked into town with Cammie, trying to make conversation.<p>

"So, come here often?" I said calmly.

"I used to, but the deputy director of the CIA made me swear to stop," she said just as calm.

I laughed a bit and then saw she was serious. Note to self: hack her file with Jonas tonight.

Solomon was asking questions through comms, but I didn't pay too much attention. Leave it to photographic memory to make your life a bunch easier.

"So what about you? Exactly what does the Blackthorne Institute call home?" she said, breaking the silence.

I flinched at that, but she didn't notice. "Oh. That's classified," I said, walking over to some gazebo, and sitting on the steps.

"So you can sleep inside the walls of my school, but I can't even know where yours is?" she said, obviously annoyed.

I flinched at that again, then covered it up with a small laugh. "Trust me Gallagher Girl, you wouldn't want to sleep inside the walls of my school," I said.

"What do you mean? Why can't you tell me?" she said, now curious. I wondered how I could read her so easily.

"Just trust me Gallagher Girl," I placed my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands as I said: "Can you trust me?"

I never let my gaze leave hers. Solomon asked a few other questions.

"Solomon's good," I said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, he is," she said half-heartedly.

"They say you're good too," I spat out.

Okay… where did that come from?

She sort of blushed, but before she could say anything, I heard Mr. Solomon in my ear: "Okay Zach, without turning around, tell me how many windows are overlooking your exact position right now."

"Fourteen," I said bored, and turned back to Cam. "They say you're a real pavement artist."

Still silent. I leaned back on the steps.

"You know, it was a good thing we got to tail you guys back there in DC. If it was you tailing us, I would've never noticed you."

Still silent. What is it with this girl? Then I saw it, a trace of a smile. Then it faded.

Bex came by in that moment, bumped into Cam while talking with Grant, said something like: "I'm sorry," and kept going.

Solomon praised her as I saw the quarter in Cam's hand.

Cammie started walking towards a pharmacy, and I stood and walked next to her. Then I heard some voice say: "Cammie? Is that you?"

That was when I met the reason Cam was so silent. That person was going to regret it.

* * *

><p>I saw the owner of the voice. Some guy was standing there with wide eyes looking at Cammie. He stepped closer to her and smiled.<p>

I decided in that moment that I did not like this guy.

"Hey Cammie," he said slowly. "I thought that was you."

Cammie was just standing there, at loss for words.

I _definitely_ do not like this guy.

"Cammie?" the guy said. "Are you okay?"

"Hi Josh," she said, her voice cracking.

Two discoveries: This guy made Cam's voice crack –which he would regret, and that the guy's name was Josh.

Now I was under a little crisis myself, because I was seriously not liking the guy, which was totally not me. And I was mad at him for making Cam sad.

I needed to go to the doctor or something.

"What are you doing here?" Josh asked.

_Like we'd ever tell you, idiot_.

I felt good about that, I knew a side of Cam this guy would never know. Then I felt completely weird for thinking like that. I must've had an interesting expression, but at least no one was paying me any attention. I don't know if that was good or bad. Then again, I was standing at a particular distance, I'm pretty sure Josh didn't see me.

"Oh… it's… a school thing," she said hesitantly, looking down at her uniform.

_Hesitantly? She's a spy! Spies don't hesitate!_

This guy's going down.

"So…. How have you been?" she said, changing the subject.

"Okay, how about you?" he said.

"Okay," she answered.

"So we're both okay. Good for us," Josh said, forcing a smile.

I would personally make sure there was no _us_ between Cam and this dude.

Then my savior came to the rescue.

Ugh, let's pretend I never said that.

"Josh!" a super squeaky, ultra-feminine voice said. "Josh, your dad said he could…" the voice trailed off.

Blonde hair, pink scarf, pink hat, pink mittens.

Wow… I think you've made your point.

"Oh my gosh! Cammie! It's so great to see you!" she said.

And she knows Cammie because…?

Mystery girl studied Cam's uniform. Then mystery girl hugged Cam.

Weird.

"Hi DeeDee," Cam said, forcing a smile.

DeeDee? Well, it certainly fits her.

"It's really nice to see you," Cammie said.

_Same here… _I thought. _Please take Jimmy away…_

Then I realized what I was thinking. _I have mental issues…_ I thought.

And don't ask why I suddenly decided to call him Jimmy. I don't know either, trust me.

A look crossed between Jimmy and DeeDee. One word: guilt.

I held in my smirk. _Nice..._

"Okay Ms. Morgan, let's see you hand off," Solomon said through comms.

"We're... I mean… I'm… on the committee for the spring dance… and uh… it's a party, and it's kind of a big deal… and Josh is helping me out… and it's next Friday… and uh…"

Then I saved the day.

"Cammie there you are," I said, walking towards them. I looked at Jimmy, then DeeDee, then Cam. "I was wondering where you ran off to."

Then I stretched out my hand to Jimmy and said: "I'm Zach."

Jimmy took my hand but didn't look happy. He looked between me and Cam over and over, like searching for an answer that seemed obvious, but wasn't there.

"Zach, this is Josh. And this is DeeDee. They're…" Cammie said, trailing off.

"We're friends of Cammie's," DeeDee said.

"Zach and I…" Cammie started.

"We go to school together," I said, wishing those words were different.

"Really? I thought it was a girl's school…" DeeDee said with a confused face.

"Actually, my school's doing an exchange with Gallagher this semester," I said.

Then I did something I knew Cammie would interpret differently, and I was glad about that.

I slipped my hand into hers and took the quarter, but Cammie's eyes grew wide.

"Oh... That's really great!" DeeDee said, eyeing our hands.

_You have no idea…_ I thought, smirking.

Some sort of girl-ish understandment passed between Cam and DeeDee, and Cam casually glanced at me.

"Cam," I said, making her snap out of it. "We should go. The van leaves in ten."

I nodded politely at Jimmy and DeeDee. "It was nice meeting you."

_NOT!_

"You too," I heard DeeDee say. I was already turning the corner.

I was _it_.

I had the quarter.

I had Cammie confused.

I was starting to hate Jimmy.

I wanted to puke at the sight of DeeDee.

I wanted to know why Jimmy made her so sad and uneasy.

I wanted to see Cammie smile for once.

I heard Cammie being invited to that party through comms.

I was hoping she'd say no.

* * *

><p>Back at Gallagher I went straight to my dorm.<p>

"So…" Jonas said.

"WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?" Grant said.

"We went to Roseville and played tag," I answered.

"Ha-ha very funny dude. What happened to you back there?"

"Besides having to wait ages until I got the stupid quarter? Nothing," I said.

I knew I was in for it. I'd been on comms! Stupid me, stupid, stupid…

"Dude! You complimented her, you didn't use sarcasm, you spoke coldly to some civilians and left without notice! What is up with you dude? We're losin' ya!" Grant practically yelled.

"Nice to know you trust me so much… it was a cover. Remember?" I said, knowing that nothing about that was a cover.

"Oh. Oh right. Well, who's up for dinner?" Grant said.

Then he seemed to think on his last sentence, and added, "You know what? Follow if you want, later!"

Grant simply went out without bothering to shut the door.

I remembered my mental note to myself and turned to Jonas as he was about to leave.

"Hey Jonas?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"How long would it take to hack the Gallagher database?"

"Twenty to forty minutes if their firewalls are as good as they claim to be. Liz designed half of them."

"Aww… that is so cute. Anyhow, how would you like to help out a guy with something?"

"I'm supposing that if I tell Grant I'm dead."

"No duh."

He grinned. "Sure, I'm in. Wait until sleeping beauty starts snoring."

"Deal, thanks man."

"Sure thing Zach, but hey, I know I'm not specialized in this, but I know the basics. That wasn't just a cover now was it?"

I hesitated a minute, and said: "a spy must indulge," and walked out.

I heard Jonas sigh and follow along.

My world-famous smirk came back after a very long period of ill use.

* * *

><p>The whole while during dinner I kept stealing glances at every reflective surface I could find, trying to see Cammie's face.<p>

I was worried about her; I didn't know how she would take all eyes on her. By now, everyone here knew this afternoon's events.

I wanted revenge against that Jimmy guy. Not only did he hurt Cam, but he also hurt my rep in CoveOps, which is very hard to do. I had literally spaced out, just watching the scene unfold in front of me. I needed to go see a doctor or something.

I needed a plan to get back at this guy. I already had an idea, but that was probably forbidden by the CIA and would cost me a good ten years in jail.

I was in deep thought on this when I got my idea. I smirked to myself, and continued eating dinner, again glancing at Cammie every once in a while.

She was calmly talking to Liz, Bex and Macey, but I could see the tension in her. I could see how her gaze was lost in thought, lost as she answered Tina's comments, lost as she nodded to her friends' conversations, lost as she looked at the water jug and found my gaze.

I looked away but I couldn't help thinking: _Why am I acting like this?_

I am a guy with many issues.

But I never _ever_ let anyone see them.

So why can Cammie, just some spy girl, see through me so easily?

_Because she's not 'just some spy girl', _that stupid voice in my head said.

But then, what is she?

* * *

><p>After dinner, I roamed the halls, going nowhere in particular, until I reached the Grand Hall and I saw something, <em>someone<em>, leaning in front of the Gallagher family tree tapestry, seemingly lost in thought.

Cammie.

"You know, I never actually got the rest of my tour." I said.

_Okay… lame Zach! What was that?_

I stood next to the tapestry with her. "So what do you say Gallagher Girl?" I hooked a finger behind the tapestry and took a peek behind it.

Secret passageways huh?

"Is this where I get my Cammie-Morgan-no-passageway-too-secret, no-wall-too-high tour?" I said.

"How did you…?" she started.

I pointed to myself. "Spy."

Truth is, I overhear a lot of things. Enough said.

I cocked my head and placed a shoulder against the wall and broke the silence.

"So, that was Jimmy?"

"Josh," she corrected –annoyed.

"Whatever," I said, annoyed by her protectiveness.

_Annoyed? Or are you just jealous? _The little voice said.

This is not cool.

Then I got an idea.

"He's a cutie," I said.

Her expression was priceless, or at least it was until it hardened and she said, "what do you want Zach? If you want to make fun, go ahead. Mock away."

Her words were supposed to make me smirk and say some clever comment, but they stung.

Not like I'd let her know that, though.

I suddenly realized I was, in some way, staring at her.

I smirked. "You know I would, but you just took the fun out of it."

Nice save.

"Sorry," she said, still annoyed.

Scratch that. She wasn't annoyed, she was livid now. She just wasn't showing it and she seemed to be fighting anger inside herself.

Since when can I read her so well?

She started to walk away and I blocked her path.

"Hey," I said, in a much softer, non-mocking tone. "Why'd you freeze out there today?"

"I'm fine," she said, practically oozing uncertainty. "I'm over it."

Jimmy is _so _dead for doing this to Cammie.

"No you aren't, Gallagher Girl," I said softly.

_But you will be_, I thought. Then I realized I said that last part out loud.

_Still gonna fight me?_ The stupid voice said.

_No._ I thought_. Fine. So be it._

I'm falling for Cameron Ann Morgan.

She's not just some spy girl; she's the girl who can see the other part of me. The part of me I've tried so hard to hide –and had so far succeeded in it.

She can see through my mask.

Let's just hope she doesn't see the part about Moth-… No. I'll die before she finds that out.

I won't ever let her find out.

For me.

For her.

For us.

For love.

_Man I really need to find a doctor._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 3!**

**I know that last bit was OOC, but I didn't have the heart to take it out. Besides, one could say that's one of the moments when Cammie starts cracking Zach's mask. The first impact is always the strongest, correct? So it's not _that_ OOC when you think about it.**

**Oh, and I don't feel particularly proud of the title of this chapter, but I couldn't think anything up. Sorry!**

**Hope you liked it, R&R!**

**-DemiSpy**


	4. Thinking, Realizing, Remembering, Acting

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to Ally Carter.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Thinking, Realizing, Remembering, and Acting

* * *

><p>After my little 'meeting' with Cam, I went back to my dorm, dazed, trying to keep my mind straight.<p>

_This is not happening, this is not happening…_

Yeah, it's about to get a lot worse.

"Dude, where were you?" Jonas asked, looking up from his laptop.

"Someplace. What's going on? You look… jumpy," I said.

Jumpy, would be the biggest understatement of the century. Jonas looked like he was ready to go snowboarding, and he dreaded doing that.

He was shivering somehow, and his eyes weren't exactly focused on anything.

"Yeah, Dr. Steve called a meeting. You weren't there. So now, I can't tell you what it was about."

"Nice to know you trust me so much. Where's Grant?" I asked, not really caring about whatever he couldn't tell me.

"Someplace with Bex."

"No small wonder. I shouldn't have asked."

"Too late. You already did."

I smirked. "Precisely. Anyways, we still on for tonight's plan?"

"Yup, as soon as Grant falls asleep," Jonas said.

_As soon as Grant falls asleep… That won't take much._

* * *

><p>"Sleeping beauty is snoring," I told Jonas later that night.<p>

"Yes he is, and he makes horrible noises. Remind me why I'm helping you?"

"Because you're my friend."

"Oh, right. Okay then, while Sleeping Beauty was falling asleep, I was already cracking a few codes. Give me ten."

"Sure," I said.

You know, ten minutes of hearing the constant clatter of keys can be quite annoying. Just saying though.

"Okay, what do I do now?" Jonas asked me after hacking straight into the Gallagher database.

"Look into the file: Morgan, Cameron."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"There," he said. "You have exactly 19 minutes and forty seconds before things get suspicious and someone triggers an alarm."

"Thanks."

"Duh. Goodnight."

"'Night," I answered and turned my gaze to the screen.

I looked into the file. "Let's see…" I scrolled down the entire list.

Covert Operations Report

Operatives: Morgan, Sutton, Baxter, McHenry.

Subject: Abrahams, Josh – Civilian.

Objective: Find out about suspicious possible honey-potting behavior referred from the Subject.

I didn't read it. I copy-pasted it with a special program that wouldn't leave any marks.

I closed the window and started to read.

When I was finished I was speechless.

Cameron Morgan went through too much trouble for a guy.

A guy she was forced to break up with.

A guy whose guts I just happened to hate.

A guy who (unknowingly) broke Cam's heart.

A guy whom I was going to get revenge on. Hard.

How was I going to do that?

I was going to do exactly what he did to Cam.

* * *

><p>The next day I made a promise to myself that no matter what, I would not let my mask fall. I would not let anyone see the constant war going on between that weird little voice in my head and the part of my head I still considered –key word considered- sane.<p>

After COW that morning, I noticed Cam was acting strangely. She seemed on edge.

"What's the matter Gallagher Girl?" I asked her as we walked out of the classroom. "You seem… jumpy."

That makes two jumpy people… I might as well interrogate Jonas later on.

I eyed her intently. No answer.

We walked into the Culture & Assimilation classroom, just in time to hear Madame Dabney saying, "-the all-school exam…"

The sun shone nicely in the room, and I couldn't help but wonder how the girls here would react if they visited Blackthorne someday. Creepy thought.

"Ooh, ladies," she said as we all settled in the classroom. "And gentlemen," she quickly added. "In all my years of teaching at this fine institution I never had the opportunity to organize such an exciting educational experience."

In that moment I witnessed a lot of girly reactions and I realized that, spies or not, these girls were feminine deep inside.

_Bad time to let that out,_ I thought.

"This Friday evening all students in grades eight through twelve will be invited to a formal examination." She paused, as if waiting for applause, "A ball, ladies and gentlemen. There's going to be a ball!" she exclaimed.

Okay… this is new.

Eyes went wide. Faces went red –Jonas, you should know better than that. Bodies froze.

Cammie was perfectly fine.

But I saw the look in her eyes:

Disbelief.

She had known something about this, but she had not known it was turning out this way.

_She probably thought she'd get to crawl in secret passageways wearing black clothes and a comms unit,_ I thought.

One of the many reasons Cam is different.

_Not again…_

"Tomorrow at this same time you will each be fitted for gowns and tuxedos," Madame Dabney said, clearly disappointed for not receiving her applause. "On Friday evening you will be asked to participate in a cumulative examination –one that will encompass everything we teach. And you will be expected to dance."

_That_ was the bright red cherry on top of my nightmare.

I know how to dance, I'm good at it, _extremely_ good at it actually.

But I hate it.

Why? Because it reminds me of mom.

Before she became… that.

But I'm not going into details… no need to risk my mask falling.

Besides, I already have other things to worry about. A lot of them.

* * *

><p>That week, rumors went up and down, and I simply hated them.<p>

People must find a better habit, because this is just outright ridiculous.

By Friday, you couldn't walk down the halls without hearing a conversation on hair gel or on how we were supposed to detect an infiltrated spy at the dance.

Seriously people, get a life.

I, for one, was dealing decently with the idea.

Fine. They want to bring back my most treasured memories, those of mom and me when everything was okay, when dad was alive. Those memories that are actually capable of making my mask fall?

So be it.

Madame Dabney had chosen out tuxedos for each of us, I found them all the same, but she had focused on little details, like shades of black and tie colors.

I didn't mind that, but, to me at least, it seemed like far too much preparation.

That evening, I walked down towards the Grand Hall with Grant and Jonas, thinking about what on earth I was going to be doing tonight.

Girls of different sizes, different colors and shapes (fluffy dresses –really?) were all over the place.

Grant went to find Bex and Jonas left to find Liz.

Then I saw Cammie.

She wore a strapless ruby red dress that flowed all the way to the floor, her beautiful dirty blonde hair was pulled to her right side, flowing in soft curls on her shoulder, and her face had light makeup that made her eyes look even more beautiful.

I'm gonna look for a psychologist once this exchange program is over.

I walked up to her, eyed her a moment, leaned against the railing and said, "Well, you don't look hideous."

Really Zach? Sheesh, talk about the biggest understatement in history.

She eyed me a bit, and said: "Ditto."

I smiled a bit then couldn't contain my laughter.

Oh no. Mask is falling. Not good.

She started moving toward the stairs, but her heel caught onto the hem of her dress, and she was about to fall down, when I grabbed her arm and straightened her.

"Easy, Gallagher Girl," I said softly.

"I am perfectly capable of going down the stairs by myself Zach," she said, rolling her eyes.

_Of course you are Cammie,_ I thought, unsure if that was sarcastic or not.

Madame Dabney just had to be passing by in that moment, and when she saw Cammie she said, "A lady always gracefully accepts a gentleman's arm when offered Cammie dear."

I smirked at Cam's face. She reluctantly took my arm, and walked down the stairs with me. I went on with my smile, knowing that Cammie was fuming.

"Stop that," she snapped.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You're enjoying this way too much. You're smirking."

We'd made it to the foyer, and were turning to the Grand Hall. "I got news for you Gallagher Girl. If you're not enjoying this, you're in the wrong business."

She seemed to hesitate at her answer, looking around at the Grand Hall. It was beautifully decorated, and everything just seemed to scream 'elegance'.

Solomon came in that very moment, carrying a stack of folders.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "You all look very nice, but I'm afraid you're not quite done getting ready. I'm afraid we didn't mention this is some sort of _masquerade _ball."

I heard Courtney Bauer say something about not having masks, and I laughed internally. I should've seen this coming. Good old Solomon.

"These are your disguises, Ms. Bauer." Solomon said, handing her one of the folders. "Cover legends, ladies and gentlemen. You have three minutes to memorize everything within them."

Liz's hand shot into the air.

"Even if you are not on the CoveOps track, Miss Sutton. Spies are the ultimate actors, ladies and gentlemen. It's the heart of what we do. So your mission is simple, you will become somebody else," Solomon said, smiling.

I could've sworn a smile was tugging on to Cammie's lips.

_She likes to act huh?_ I thought.

Cammie is easy to read for me, most of the time. She's an open book, but on occasion she'll write the pages with high tech invisible ink. She might write her secrets in a dead language.

So it was my job to crack the code and figure out what Cammie wanted to hide.

Just like she did to me.

"It's an exam people," Solomon was saying. "Culture, languages, observation… the real tests in these subjects don't have anything to do with words on a piece of paper. Tonight isn't about knowing the answers, ladies and gentlemen. It's about _living_ them."

I smirked; same old Solomon and his deep-meaning speeches.

I grabbed the folder with my name. I was James Richards. I was an international art thief.

_Well,_ I thought. _This'll be fun._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 4!**

**Reading back on this... Zach was a bit too OOC... But you people never seemed to mind... sigh. The things we do for Zammie. :S Oh well, who knows? We never really got to see Zach. For all we know, he could be a real softie. :P**

**The chapter title was kinda strange... and the Acting bit, refers to the covers for the exam... just saying.**

**Hope you liked this one, R&R!**

**-DemiSpy**


	5. Awkwardness from a Hurt, Lying Witness

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Aly Carter owns.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Awkwardness from a Hurt, Lying Witness

* * *

><p>Everything was happening. The soft sound of classic music filled the room along with the murmur of conversations in every language I'd learnt being spoken.<p>

People were dancing, talking, eating, _acting_. Cover stories were being ratted out by almost every single person in the vicinity. On occasion, Solomon would stop you and ask a random question. Madame Dabney kept walking around with a clipboard in her hands.

As for me, I was having fun. This was just too easy. I danced with everyone I could to pass the time. I was thinking about Cammie but I hadn't seen her in a while. Downside of being _The Chameleon, _I suppose.

I danced with a few lower grade girls until I realized the height difference was too much of a problem. Then I decided to test the height difference the other way around.

I danced with Headmistress Morgan.

She laughed the whole while.

She reminded me of Cammie.

Cammie never believed it, or so I'd been told, but she was as beautiful as her mother. Maybe even more.

I flirted with almost every girl in sight, giving out smirks here and there. Solomon once stopped me and asked something about how many escape routes would be needed to evacuate everyone in thirty seconds.

He should come up with harder stuff.

Next I found myself dancing with Liz and I could've sworn Jonas was steaming at the ears.

She ratted out every single detail found in her cover story. I laughed while twirling her, and then something caught my eye.

Something red.

Cammie's red dress was standing three feet from where I was, and I hadn't noticed.

Not like I was going to tell Cammie.

The song ended and I politely excused myself from Liz.

I went over to where Cam was talking with Mr. Mosckowitz.

I took a glass with me, just in case, and walked up to them.

I walked up and heard Mr. Mosckowitz saying, "Say Tiffany, are you enjoying the party?"

"Tiffany is the life of the party," I said, walking up to them. "Excuse me Mr. Secretary," I said, offering him the glass. "But I believe this is your drink."

"Why, yes it is!" he said. I saw him lean into Cam and whisper, "This is my drink, isn't it?"

Cammie held back a laugh and said, "Yes."

Mosckowitz turned back to me, "Thank-you my good man! Good show!"

Apparently, he decided to become British.

I saw Cammie's gaze wander away from us, and when Mosckowitz asked her: "Isn't that right Tiffany?" she was completely lost.

So I saved her, naturally.

"I wonder, Mr. Secretary, would you mind if I borrowed Tiffany for a moment?" I said.

"Not at all," Mosckowitz said, though Cammie seemed to be trying to say that she minded…

Too bad, Cam.

"They're playing our song," I told Cammie as I gently grabbed her arm, and guided her to the dance floor.

She started dancing with me but it was clear her mind was somewhere else.

"So, tell me, what does a girl like Tiffany St. James do for fun?" I asked her, tyring to get her out of Wonderland.

"I didn't tell you my name was Tiffany St. James," she said. "How did you know?"

So? I'd heard a few people call her that already… plus, I'm a spy.

"Oh," I said, cocking an eyebrow, sounding just like the charming and debonair art thief I was supposed to be. "I always make it my business to know the names of," I pulled her slightly closer "beautiful women."

_Smooth, Zach_, I thought.

And then I dipped her, and winked.

Her face was priceless.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl," I said, spinning her out and back to me, "relax a little."

I suddenly noticed her tensing. She didn't seem to be paying attention to me.

"Hey, Gallagher Girl? You okay?" I asked her. I realized my voice sounded more concerned than I meant it to come out.

My mask cannot be falling.

"I gotta go!" she blurted.

Okay, something was definitely wrong.

"Ms. Morgan!" Madame Dabney warned as she passed by.

"I mean, if you could excuse me for a moment," She said.

I held her arm.

"Thank you very much for the dance," she said, and pulled away.

Okay… weird.

I followed her from a close distance. I needed to know what was wrong.

I heard her argue with Professor Buckingham, and then she trudged away to the bathrooms.

Stomach emergency? Don't think so…

But then she was stopped by Dr. Steve.

Then she ran away, and I didn't see where she went.

But I already knew where she was going.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Gallagher Girl, I thought I'd find you here," I said as she walked in.<p>

It was the faraway corridor, the one I'd seen her go into once to be alone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, out of breath.

"Looking for you," I said.

"Why?"

"Because this is where you came the other day."

"Oh."

"I thought that this is where you come… when you're upset," I said.

She had a hand on her hip, though I had no idea why. Cammie wasn't the type of girl to cock a hip, brush hair out of her shoulders and smirk.

But there she was, with one hand on her hip, out of breath.

Strange combination right?

"So, what is it, Gallagher Girl?" I asked.

She then let go of her hip to press her hand to the wall…

And then it happened.

A strapless bra landed at her feet.

Realization dawned on me. No wonder I didn't know what was up with her.

God, I just embarrassed her. Bad.

I was about to say something like: "It's okay, what were you planning to do with that thing?" and try to put her at ease, but then an alarm interrupted me.

"CODE BLACK. CODE BLACK" a voice said.

Then the lights went out.

_So much for putting Cammie at ease_, I thought.

* * *

><p>So… how do I put it?<p>

The sirens kept going and going, most likely leaving me deaf.

And what did I do? Stare at dumbstruck Cammie, waiting for her to say something.

And what did she do? She took my hand and hauled me back to the Grand Hall.

Or well, she tried to.

Classified materials burnt into flames, keeping secrets safe. Vending machines sunk into the floor, replaced by stone.

The whole school was shutting down.

Lanterns that I normally thought were for decoration lit up in a yellowish glow.

I voiced my thoughts, and Cammie's response didn't make me feel much better…

"If everything goes right, they are."

"So this means…" I trailed off.

"Something is seriously not right."

_No duh._

Bookshelves sunk into the walls and floors. Security people ran past us.

"It's standard security protocol," Cam yelled over the sirens. "There must've been a breach. The whole system goes into lockdown. Nothing gets in."

Steel doors fell from the crown molding, sealing the hallway behind us.

"And nothing gets out," she finished.

We ran past the library. The room –the whole room- sunk into the floor.

"Does this happen a lot?" I asked, bracing myself for the answer.

"No."

We were rushing towards the Grand Hall's doors.

That was when I realized it.

The breach. The sirens. Cam's dad.

It all fit. All those things my mom once told me, all those rumors Cavan members had once said.

It all fit.

But that wasn't me. That wasn't my business. A past I never wanted to be part of. I wouldn't let it ruin my present. It wouldn't haunt my future.

But I knew for a fact I was on people's lists.

I let go of Cam's hand, she didn't notice. The doors were maybe ten feet from us.

I made sure Cam didn't notice my change of direction, and swiftly ran from her, past a hall, and hid behind a column, breathing hard.

I knew Cam wouldn't be blamed. I knew she'd hate me, she'd hold me as a possible culprit.

But I preferred that. Anything but the truth.

Spies live for lying. But they also live for hiding the truth.

So that's what I was going to do.

* * *

><p>The next morning I felt like an idiot. A coward. I'd put Cam through a lot. Half the stories about what had happened the night before were about her.<p>

The _believable_ stories were about her.

Grant and Jonas didn't know about my past, and I didn't plan to let them in on those details any time soon.

But I needed someone to know. I'd always been able to handle things alone. On my own.

But not anymore.

Seeing Cammie hurt was bad enough, but knowing it was my fault she was hurt was worse.

If my mom hadn't given me a past that scarred me for life she wouldn't be in this.

If I hadn't tried to accept that past and live with it Cam wouldn't be in this.

If I hadn't been a coward to face Solomon's interrogation and have everyone suspect I was with Cavan –which I wasn't, nor would I ever be- Cam wouldn't be in this.

But when the damage is done, you can try to fix it.

But never reverse it.

I knew for a fact that I had to keep my cover up. My mask would be stronger now.

And I'd make Cameron Morgan miserable.

See how spy life sucks?

* * *

><p>During breakfast, everyone was in quiet chatter. Cam was with her friends, talking calm as ever. But I could see the tension in her body. I could see how her eyes were never focused.<p>

I could see the anger, rage and confusion I had caused, built up inside her.

And then, of course, Tina Walters had to come make things even worse.

I heard pieces of their conversation.

"because according to my sources…. Sneaking out… rogue mission… CIA…."

Seriously Walters?

Then I heard it.

"YOU WERE WITH ZACH?" Tina's voice echoed.

_My life stinks_, I thought.

Tina trudged over to my table.

"So Zach," she said. "Is it true that you were with Cammie last night during the Code Black?"

Wow Walters. One day, national security will rest in your hands.

_It is gonna be so painful to say this…_

"Cammie?" I asked, sounding confused. "Morgan?" I asked, then laughed forcedly. "Why would I be with _her_?" I said.

_For a billion reasons not even you would be able to understand._

Cam's face went red.

_Cam, I'm so sorry._

Tina looked at Cam, then at me and nodded. Idiot!

"Sure, I saw her at the party" I said, noticing Tina hadn't left. "But I wasn't _with_ her."

I saw Cam. Three words: Embarassed. Stunned. Hearbroken.

I'd caused it all.

I stood up, and walked out.

When I passed by where she was sitting, I didn't dare look at her. I knew one glance at her would make my mask break down.

"Zach," she started.

Her voice was masked. It sounded calm, but I could feel rage in it.

"See ya later" I said simply and got out.

That was the hardest phrase I forced myself to say in my life.

When you're a spy, that's saying a lot.

* * *

><p>I had the worst luck ever. I had PE, with Cam.<p>

I went in, and started kicking a punching bag.

When class was still a few minutes from starting, I heard footsteps. Then I heard an angelical voice screaming: "You liar!"

Yup, just my luck.

"Spy," I said, and continued kicking.

"Zach! You know I didn't breach security last night. You know I didn't cause the Code Black."

_I know_, I thought.

But my mask was still on.

I risked looking at her for a moment, and saw her beautiful face contorted in pain and anger.

"Oh, I thought it was a false alarm."

She hit the bag. Hard. I raised my eyebrows slightly. "Not bad." I held the bag. "Put your shoulder into it now."

"I know how to do it" she snapped.

"Do you?" I asked, smiling.

She glared at me, and hit the bag.

It flew and hit _me _in the stomach. I doubled over.

"Nice one Gallagher Girl," I choked out.

"Don't call me-"

"Look," I cut her off, regretting everything I was about to say. "Do you really want everyone knowing we were together?" _Yes_. "Do you think that maybe what happened last night isn't any of Tina Walter's business?" _Yeah, so then everyone knows she's mine…_

_Oh shut up Zach._

"Besides, I thought you liked your interludes secret." I then added, "Your boyfriends private."

"We weren't having an_ interlude_. And you are _not _my boyfriend." She said.

"Yeah" I hit the bag harder, unconsciously. "I noticed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said.

I stopped. I must be really good at hiding my emotions. "You're the Gallagher Girl. You figure it out. Besides, at my school, we learn how to keep a secret."

"Yeah. I know. I go to a school like yours." She said.

_Yeah right. I wish _I _went to a school like yours._

I looked at her real serious. "Do you?"

* * *

><p>That night I went to my dorm feeling completely miserable. I hated how Cammie made me feel.<p>

Guilt. Anger. Love.

But the worst of all, she was the only person in the world who had the power to make my mask fall.

Grant entered, and saw my face.

"Dude, what's up?" he said.

"Nothing. I'm thinking," I said, without paying him much attention.

"Precisely why I'm worried."

I glared. After a pause, I said: "Cam isn't guilty."

"What are you talking about?"

"Code Black. Cammie didn't cause it. She has an alibi. She has a witness too. She didn't do it. Someone broke into Gallagher database."

"How do you know you can believe her? How do you know she didn't pay her _witness_ to say stuff?"

I looked at him real serious. "'Cause I'm the witness."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 5! You're now halfway through the story!**

**I tried something new for this title, and I more or less like it. What about you?**

**Hope you liked it, R&R!**

**-DemiSpy**


	6. Explaining, Hacked, Bugs, and Dates

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ally Carter owns.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

Explaining, Hacked, Bugs, and Dates.

* * *

><p>I watched Grant's expression change as I finished telling him the events of <em>the night.<em>

Confusion, anger, confusion, awe, confusion, anger… you get the idea.

"So let me get this straight," Grant said.

"No I won't let you. You only have to understand one thing. She's not guilty. But we can't do anything about that," I cut him off.

"Alright then. But what about Cammie? She's still holding the blame."

"I know. But like I said, we can't do anything about it" I said and stood up.

"You sound heartless there dude. But whatever. Just don't do anything stupid 'kay?"

"Does stupidity sound like me?" I asked, and didn't let him answer. I pulled the covers over me, and let myself sink into an emotionless sleep.

The only place I could escape to anymore.

* * *

><p>My moment of peace ended with my inner clock telling me to wake up.<p>

Today was a Sunday, meaning a day off during which people would be doing anything but being lazy. Something I love and hate about spy school.

We had one of those "buddy sessions" with Dr. Steve scheduled, meaning total boredom and torture awaited me tonight. Which, is saying a lot considering I know of eighty different forms of torture, some only known in Singapore, some only approved of in Pakistan.

But I won't lecture you on that, since Mr. Hess –CoveOps teacher at Blackthorne- had a disturbing scar on his left arm when he explained all that. In detail.

The day went by easily, Cam wasn't in sight, and I spent most of my time in the PE barn with Grant or catching up on projects due three weeks from now.

When we had to go meet Dr. Steve, I couldn't shake the feeling something was going on. Something wrong.

Being a spy, you learn to respect feelings. _Instincts_. Still, I couldn't help but feel weird about that. I mean, I was still feeling horrible for Cammie and what I put her through, I was nervous about what sort of suspicions Solomon carried on for me, and I was completely freaked out at the words Dr. Steve was saying.

But I won't go much into detail on those either. We all know Dr. Steve has a very… err… _unique_ mind.

* * *

><p>When we got back to the dorm, the rest of our grade decided to stick around. They got along decently with Jonas, and Grant was their role model. I just sat back and watched.<p>

Then Jonas shot me a nervous glance, and I saw him checking something out on his phone.

Now let me explain. Jonas uses his phone for everything except calling, texting, or playing minigames.

That includes, keeping track of every single gadget he has ever touched.

I moved over to where he was, and pretended to grin at some picture just in case, especially to avoid strange looks.

I got a screen with the words:

Computer "Jonas-machine" entered at

1830 hours with username: 5554449999.

Files erased: None.

Files viewed: None.

Files created: None.

Damage: None.

Updates: None.

Time in use: N/A.

We. Were. Hacked.

After everyone was gone, we didn't trust to talk in our dorms, so we went to the library. We only had an hour until curfew, but it was an hour I'd rather not waste.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"I don't know. It had to be someone inside the school. I know I didn't have my _best_ firewalls there, but they were still pretty tough. Average spies would take an hour to hack that, and we'd been gone for only fifteen minutes when mystery person logged in." Jonas said.

Then it clicked.

No. Not an _average spy._

But here, not everyone's average.

"Jonas," I said slowly. "What was the username again?"

"5554449999," he told me. "But I've tried every single database to find its meaning, and I've got nothing."

_Expect the unexpected_, Mr. Hess once said. _One may use the simplest ways to gain the most efficient results. Those details too simple in sight that may go unnoticed could be the ultimate failure of what we seek to resolve._

Dramatic, but it worked.

I took out my phone, and typed the numbers into the touch screen dial pad, checking which letters the numbers made.

Jklghiwxyz

But, if I only used the last letter, the one that should be taken into notice…

jkLghIwxyZ

LIZ.

"Jonas," I said. "Your girlfriend is pretty darn smart."

Jonas' cheeks flared. I'm not sure if it was either because: I got the code cracked, I called Liz his girlfriend, that he got outdone by said girlfriend…

Or simply because he was thinking the same thing.

We went back to our dorm that night, and when I was brushing my teeth, I found something.

Actually, I stepped on something.

I opened the cabinet doors and heard a metallic _clang_.

Then I stepped back, stepping on the object in question.

And I found a little black bug.

A microphone.

Man, those girls are pretty darn smart.

"Hey Jonas?" I yelled.

"What?" he said.

"Take out the bug detector."

This is gonna be one long night.

* * *

><p>The next day Cammie avoided me completely, but I saw worry and anger in her eyes.<p>

I didn't know what to think anymore about her. Everything in a spy's life was complicated, I knew that. But would she ever trust me again?

Trust, in a spy's life, is something we cannot afford.

I got my answer after leaving the tea room that afternoon.

"Mr. Smith says our midterm papers have to be a joint project. And my mother said that I should make an effort to 'embrace the collaborative nature of this exchange experience'" she said.

I raised my eyebrows. I knew for a fact that wasn't really the reason she was putting herself up to this.

"And you want to embrace me?" I asked.

"Only in the academic sense. Look, do you want to do this project or not?"

She sounded exasperated. She was using every bit of will power not to explode in that moment. I could notice that much.

"So?" she asked again.

I realized I'd been lost in my world, thinking on how much I damaged her, as I noticed the stares and whispers that passed by us.

"Sure Gallagher Girl," I said, starting to walk down. Then I decided to try something, just for good measure. "It's a date!"

_I honestly wish it was._

Then I sprinted down the hall, not daring to turn back.

* * *

><p>So… to sum it up I had a date with Cammie. Where I would most likely be interrogated, given death glares, and accused of things I would never do.<p>

Well, things I'd never do willingly, that is.

I got back to my dorm that afternoon, only to find Grant and Jonas hunched over some object with a magnifying glass.

"Did I miss something?" I said.

Jonas looked up at me.

"These bugs the girls put in here, it's state-of-the-art technology. I don't know where they got them. They're used by the Department of Homeland Security, and they're not like the ones we work with here."

"I wouldn't expect any different from your girlfriend Jonas." I said.

"Liz uses her own models. She showed them to me once."

"All spies lie."

"I'm positive this isn't Liz stuff. She would've updated the main tracking system in them. This version is at least last year's. Something's off."

"Then turn it on dude. Listen, I doubt it's too important to dwell on that. We have another situation."

I explained about my 'date' with Cammie.

Their reactions weren't exactly what I expected. Then again, I'm not sure what I expected.

They were amused.

"I don't see the problem there. You have a date. Study date. So?" Grant said.

I rolled my eyes. "Please, Cammie hates my guts. She wants something. She wants info."

"So?" Jonas said. "She wants it. But she's not gonna get it. Besides? What do we know that they don't?"

Then his eyes darkened. He was thinking the same thing.

Grant looked at us confused. "Look guys, I know I'm not the brightest one here, but it creeps me out when you guys seem to read each other's minds."

I turned to look at him. "We know about Blackthorne."

Grant's mouth practically formed a perfect 'O'.

And in my mind, I silently added: _I know about Cam's dad. About Cavan. They might not, but I do._

_And I'm the one being interrogated._

* * *

><p>I got to the library, and got a table at the very back of the library. I needed her to be distracted. I needed her to think I had the word DATE printed out in my mind in big bold letters, the word study kept in a lock.<p>

I covered the table with books. I hung my jacket on the back of my chair, and sat down.

Cammie came in only a minute or two after me. "Hello, Gallagher Girl," I said.

She sat across from me, not looking at me in the eye.

"So," she started, her voice cracking a bit. Why? I don't know. "What should we start on?"

"I don't know" I said simply.

Cammie's behavior was awkward, not to mention uneasy.

Silence.

Two minutes of silence, until Cam spoke.

"Zach," she said, and I looked at her. "So, I was thinking we could look at the impact of propaganda in third world economies?"

_That's what you were thinking?_

"Yes."

Whoops, I said that aloud didn't I? I've got to stop doing that. Strike 1.

Then I realized I was still looking at her. Strike 2.

"So…" she said again. Well, I'm not the only awkward one. What's going on in her mind? "I guess we should outline the report and maybe summarize our notes and-"

"Gallagher Girl," I said, cutting her off, knowing she'd trail off again. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

Real nice Zach. Just make her say what you've been dreading all day. Strike 3.

"No," she said.

Or not…

We both went back to our books, but I couldn't help but stealing glances at Cammie. Something was off about her. It's quite funny, sometimes I can read her like an open book, and sometimes she locks me out.

After a few minutes of completely awkward silence, Cammie spoke.

"So…" she started.

"_So…" _I said, dragging the word out much more than her.

"So what do you think of the Gallagher Academy?"

I almost laughed, but then decided against that. I didn't really need Cammie in a worse mood, and taking her school as a joke wouldn't make her too happy.

"Oh," I said, choosing carefully my next words. "It's swell."

The truth, I honestly didn't know if it was sarcastic or not.

We went back to reading, but I knew Cam wasn't focusing.

Out of nowhere, some eighth grade girls came out the stacks and stopped. They glanced at me and Cam, and then they ran out, giggling and whispering.

I sighed.

So _that's_ what was on Cammie's mind. She still blamed me, and she was still dealing with all the rumors.

Man, sometimes I really am dense.

"You handled that pretty well," I said.

"Well, I've had some practice, I guess. Besides, sticks and stones," she said.

I really admired how she wasn't taking all this out on me.

But then again, why wasn't she? Why wasn't she accusing me? Why hadn't she done anything other than bugging my dorm?

I voiced my thoughts to her, though why, I didn't know.

"I gotta say," I said, leaning back on my chair. "I'm a little disappointed."

"Dissapointed!" she cried.

"Yeah, Gallagher Girl. I thought you had a reputation for being… proactive?"

Well, that was the best word I could come up with. Don't blame me.

"Yeah," she said. "Well, what would _you_ do if everyone thought you had breached security?"

I couldn't give her any ideas… so I'd tell her what she already did.

I smiled and leaned forward. "I'd probably find out everything I could about everyone who… was _new_?" _like you did._ "Who maybe didn't have an alibi the night of the ball?" _like I did. _"I might even try to get close to anyone I suspected." _Like you're doing right now. _

Then I said what really made her crack.

"I might even bug their rooms if I got the chance."

_Like you did, and almost succeeded at._

"Hahahahaha!" she said.

Wow Cam, I thought you were a highly trained agent.

Note to self: hack into Gallagher files and check Cam's scores on Forced Emotion 101.

"But _you_ wouldn't do any of that," I said standing up. "Would you Gallagher Girl?"

"Of course I-" she started, but I cut her off.

I took out the bug I found in my room, dropped it on the table, and whispered in her ear, "I'm not all bad Gallagher Girl."

I pulled my jacket and turned to walk away. "Of course, I'm not all good either."

_But you have no clue how much I wish I were._

I started walking out, then turned to yell: "Thanks for the date!"

I walked toward my dorm, and whispered into my comms unit, "guys that was pretty darn useless, awkward, and stupidly rash."

Then Grant's voice tuned in. "Eh, you had fun bro. Plus, the dramatic touch at the end was nice."

"And we found out she really needs and update on Forced Emotion 101," Jonas said.

I chuckled as I went up the stairs. "Well, I'm just _that _Goode."

I laughed when I heard the groans, as I stopped in front of the door.

I opened it to find my two roommates with a pained expression.

And then they saw me and it turned into surprise.

"So… any bugs left?" I asked.

_Let's see how much info your bugs capture Cam._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 6!**

**I loved the part when Zach says that Cam needs an Upgrade on Forced Emotion 101. I just found it funny for some reason :P**

**Hope you liked it! R&R!**

**-DemiSpy.**


	7. Lies, Questions, Memories, and Stories

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ally Carter owns.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Lies, Questions, Memories, and Stories

* * *

><p>I knew for a fact Cammie would be really confused the moment she got live feeds on all the talking going on in my dorm.<p>

I wasn't completely sure why I left three or four bugs in there. I guess I just wanted her to realize that I'm not the bad guy.

So if she wouldn't believe me when I said it to her _directly_, so be it.

She'd have to hear me _indirectly_, through her precious bugs. Which, by the way, I found out she created for some project here at Gallagher. And got something like a B for them.

So anyways, the morning after my little study date I was in CoveOps, where we learning about the things that spies lived off.

"Lies," Mr. Solomon said. "We tell them to our friends."

_Well, it's not like I can just add into a normal conversation the fact that my mom's psycho, and in some point of my life she tried to turn me into- you know what? Never mind._

"We tell them to our enemies."

_Because if I told Cavan that I was totally against them, that'd go real swell with said mother._

"And eventually… we tell them to ourselves."

_Well, that's what the Goode mask stands for, now doesn't it?_

You can understand, by my annoyingly depressing thoughts, that I'm not in a very good mood today.

Blame Grant for taking some extra bathroom time.

I sighed, trying to focus back on the lesson. I heard Kim Lee list the physical symptoms of lying. Then Solomon said something about how we were going to work on spotting lies and stuff.

Basically meaning I'd get to interrogate someone.

Well, that lightened up my day a bit.

Solomon handed out lie detectors. AKA, little rings that to normal eyes, would seem to be the type of thing that costs seventy-five cents.

Solomon kept handing out instructions. He said that the rings _could _be fooled, and as he was giving a small demonstration with Tina Walters, I felt someone's glance on me, and immediately turned to find Cammie glancing at me from the seat across mine.

"Partner with the person across from you," Solomon said. "Watch their eyes, pay attention to their voice. And see if you can guess who's lying."

Well, luck seems to be apologizing from how rotten it was in the morning.

I turned to Cammie and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this should be fun."

Funny actually, the little ring on my finger didn't vibrate as I said it.

I turned to face Cammie, and saw her lost in thought. Probably thinking on how to get out of class… No way Cam. I'm going to have a little fun today.

"What is your name?" She asked me in a very serious way.

_What a boring question Gallagher Girl._

"Zach," I said simply.

"What's your _full_ name?" she asked me.

_As if you didn't know._

"That's a pretty boring question Gallagher Girl," I said calmly.

"Zach!"

"Yes, that's correct," I said, trying to hold in my smirk for her sake. "See?" I held up her hand. "Not lying."

"Where were you during the Code Black?" she asked.

_Uh… can we go back to the name and favorite color questions?_

Instead, I couldn't help it. I smiled. "That's better."

_Sigh. At least she's getting better at the interrogation thing… Maybe she never was bad, maybe she was just winging it. Or maybe she was-_

I was cut out of my thoughts by Cam saying: "Answer the-"

Whoops. The question. Right.

"I was with you. Rememeber?"

_Okay, no more risks._

"My turn," I said.

"Did you have fun last night?"

"Zach, I really don't think that's what Mr. Solomon is going for with this particular exercise," she said, avoiding the question.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said, grinning. "We should really do it again sometime."

_Uh... Why'd I say that? Bleh, never mind._

"Where are you from?" she asked.

_Cam, _I _was asking the questions._

"The Blackthorne Institute for Boys," I said.

I was thinking that she'd go back to boring question mode, when she hit the one no one ever dared ask me.

Except her.

"What do your parents do?"

I looked away from her. "What do you think they do?" I said as calm as possible, trying to keep my mask on.

She seemed to notice what impact her question was having. "They were CIA?" she said, going on the safe side.

I sighed silently. "Used to be."

Her face was concerned. She noticed. Recognition shined in her eyes. That's when I realized something.

Cammie's hurting too. Just in a completely different way. But still hurting.

Maybe more.

_My mask cannot fall this easily. It never will. Mom's memory will never be spoken. My mind replays it, but will never speak it._

* * *

><p>After classes that day, I felt tired.<p>

I truly felt tired, not the type when you're out of energy.

It was different.

I was tired of using my mask. Tired of being what I am. Tired of being reminded what I used to be.

Cam's little question brought back memories. Words. Images. All replaying in my mind.

I could remember everything in detail, one of the downsides of having a spy's memory.

Grant and Jonas must've noticed my mood.

"Dude, what up with you?" Grant said.

I turned to look at him. Jonas was on his laptop, but when I didn't answer, he looked up.

"Zach. What's wrong?" he asked me.

"There are questions, that sometimes we just can't answer," I said.

_Like, "what's wrong?"_

_Or more specifically, "What do your parents do?"_

I left the dorm, after Grant and Jonas decided to leave me be. They were used to this. They knew that sometimes, even _I _didn't know what to think.

These moments were rare of course. But they were just as rare as the times in my life I was asked what my parents did.

I wandered around the school grounds for a while, probably hours, simply trying to clear my head.

I knew I couldn't hide from my past forever, but I could always try. I knew my mask would someday fall, but I was an expert at delaying that moment.

Something you should know about me, is that once I get used to someplace, my mind has its own map of it.

Meaning that if I'm lost in thought, I unconsciously guide myself through my surroundings while my mind is busy, and I never bump into walls or anything.

Still, that doesn't mean I'm immune to being surprised.

So you can imagine how surprised I got when I saw Cammie climbing out of a fireplace.

_Secret passages. I really need to find out about those._

And so, the first thing I said was: "So the tour is closed, huh?"

And then Cammie bumped her head on the top of the fireplace.

_Ouch._

"Ow! What are you doing here?" she said while rubbing the back of her head.

"Come on," I said slowly while feeling her scalp for a bump.

I finally found a little bump, but it didn't seem too bad.

"You'll live," I said.

"You're being nice," she said, still rubbing her scalp.

"Don't tell anyone."

I watched her secret hideout and then smirked, remembering something. "So… did your bugs hear anything interesting?"

She kept silent.

"What is it Gallagher Girl?" I asked, getting my old cocky self back.

_I missed you, masked Zach_.

Alright that was just plain weird.

"No snappy comebacks?" I said, then decided to try something. "Nonexistent cat named Suzie got your tongue?"

Her expression morphed into a confused one. Quite comical if you ask me…

"How do you know about Suzie?"

I smirked, pointed to myself, and said… you guessed it! "Spy."

Tension fell upon us. Again.

The moonlight lit Cammie's face, making her eyes shine. I guess I just acted on instinct, so don't blame me when I stepped closer to her.

And closer.

And closer.

And then I stopped, only a few inches from her, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

I suddenly got an idea. I got a very _very_ bad idea.

I stepped back suddenly, out of surprise I could think something _that_ ridiculous up.

But for once I didn't care.

"Why don't you ask me about it? About them?" I glanced at her, and sighed. I couldn't believe I said that. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

She was shaking slightly. She didn't seem to notice though. I knew for a fact my mask was falling.

But like I said before, I was tired. And for once, I didn't care.

"It was a mission," she said after a moment.

She paused. Then said, "Four years ago, my dad went on a mission. He didn't come back. Nobody knows what… _happened_."

That's not true. "Somebody knows."

Someone had to know. I had a feeling Cavan knew. I just did.

And besides, whoever got rid of her dad, or whoever kept him captive, had to know.

Someone saw him last, that person knew.

"What? What are you saying?" she asked.

"I'm saying somebody knows." My voice was stronger. My mask wasn't back, but something different kept me from crumbling. What, I didn't know. "I'm saying you shouldn't act like there aren't any answers just because you haven't taken the time to look for them."

I knew it sounded harsh, but it was the best way to say it.

"What am I supposed to do Zach? I'm just-"

Don't you dare finish that sentence.

"Just a girl?" As if. _You're more than that, you just don't know it._

I shrugged and sighed.

_I wish I could tell you just how much more you are Cam._

"I thought you were a Gallagher Girl."

I walked away. I couldn't stand to see her like that much longer.

I'd known her dad was MIA. I just didn't know how. Or why.

But things are starting to make sense. That was four years ago, about the time when…

No. I'm not going to remember all the things I heard.

Then I heard Cammie sobbing, and I realized that hearing that was a thousand times worse than hearing what Cavan members used to whisper in the corridors.

I wanted to go back and comfort her. I wanted to tell her I might know some things.

But I couldn't, because somebody knows.

I just hope that somebody isn't me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 7! **

**This time I actually _liked_ the title. :P So no rambling about it this time... hehe.**

**Hope you liked it, R&R!**

**-DemiSpy.**

**PS. Have you noticed I always say the exact same two lines at the end of these? I'm finding it annoying... haha :P**


	8. Awkward Meetings and Lies in Roseville

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ally Carter owns. **

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Awkward Meetings and Lies in Roseville

* * *

><p>For some awkward reason, I felt different toward Cam. I'd always known she had bad history with her dad, but I never thought it'd be something like that. I don't know what I expected the story to be, but I never figured it be something so sad.<p>

I guess that's the reason why I basically ignored her for the next two weeks. I didn't tease her. I didn't smirk at her, and I didn't build up the guts to call her Gallagher Girl.

I hadn't realized how much our stories had in common. So different, and yet so alike. She was hurting too. I'd always known there was something about her that would make my mask fall.

But until that day, in front of the fireplace, I didn't know what.

I'd been so distant from her in the last few days that I forgotten something. Something important. Even when I felt bad for her, I couldn't just ignore her. I still needed her.

And I learned that the hard way.

So you can't really blame me when I was walking out the Grand Hall, bumped into Cammie, and prayed she'd notice the note before stepping out into the rain.

_Remind me why I used Evapopaper?_

Grant told me the day before that the school would go out to town on the weekend, so I took this as an opportunity to get rid of stress. The only thing that actually worried me was the possibility of running into Jimmy. But I took my chances.

The day we left for town, I found Cammie trying not to be squished in the mob of people heading out. I stifled a laugh and walked out with her, not really speaking.

I saw the comms unit before anything else.

The day was clear and sunny, which was a bonus. The wind could be a problem though, but a minor one at that. On the plus side, Cammie actually came, which was… a miracle, I guess.

Funny though, we were alone, but that comms unit made it feel like I had three other girls here… sheesh.

We walked. And walked. Did I mention we walked?

We headed straight into the Roseville, Virginia, Founders' Day Parade.

So we walked through… for an hour… in silence…

Every once in a while I heard a few random words coming from Cam's comms unit. Just… gibberish really, I couldn't make out anything her pesky roommates were saying.

_Why is it so hard for them to realize I just wanted to come out here for a little while? I'm not here on a reconnaissance mission, nor am I here to kidnap anyone. I'm not here to meet up with Cavan either, and I am not here to punch that Jimmy guy's lights out._

Though that last one could've been a pretty good idea…

Gosh Cammie… am I _that_ hard to trust?

And of course, to top it all, I'd noticed her dear roommates were following us. Sheesh…

"Do you want to do something?" Cammie said out of the blue.

I'll admit her sudden outburst surprised me, but I kept cool and said: "We could go to a movie, or get something to eat."

"Okay," was all I got from her.

Sigh. One word answers? Really? _Really?_

"Or we could just… walk," I tried.

"Okay."

Is she even paying any attention? Then I got a funny idea.

Let's find out.

"Or we could have that clown over there paint our faces and then go rob the bank."

I almost laughed at my statement… but what really made it hard not to crack was her response.

"No way. Last October they installed a Stockholm Series 360-It'd take us at least forty-five minutes to crack it."

Alright… I laughed. "Good to know."

I reached for Cammie's hand and led her through the crowds, which were getting tighter by the second. When I finally got out of the crowd, I managed to get us into a quieter street where only a few people were strolling by.

"So, plant any good bugs lately?" I asked.

What? I had to say something…

No answer.

You know how some people say acting on impulse brings out the best things in life?

Well… spies don't usually take that sort of advice.

So imagine how surprised I was, when I found myself saying my next sentence.

"Just so you know Gallagher Girl," I whispered, "I'm going to kiss you now."

I am?

Sure, why not?

I placed my hands softly on the back of her neck. I tilted my head softly, and she closed her eyes.

I almost let out a sigh of relief, I could've sworn she was going to run.

Sadly, I now know why spies don't take this sort of advice.

"Oh my gosh! Cammie, is that you?"

I let out a really, _really _bad swear word under my breath. In Farsi though, just in case.

Oh yeah, in case you didn't notice, I didn't mean to say that. Just a reflex.

But it felt good to say that…

"Hi Cammie," DeeDee said smiling. "I'm so glad you two are here!"

You know how I once said DeeDee was my savior? You know, when she got Josh to go away?

And then I swore never to describe DeeDee as my savior again right?

I'm keeping that promise… just saying.

On the good side, Josh was about five feet away.

Not saying hi.

Not smiling.

In my defense, I didn't know Josh (okay, I finally agreed his name isn't Jimmy, but I'm not telling that to Cammie) was here, but man did it feel good to see that sad look on his face.

Cammie, on the other hand, saw the face and immediately stepped away from me.

Gee, thanks Cam.

I was about to say something to DeeDee… nothing very nice at that, when my day went upside down.

_What in the world is that guy doing here?_

Alright, so I'd seen the guy a couple times earlier, but until now I realized he was actually tailing me and Cam. Before, there'd been other Gallagher students around, so I just figured he was keeping an eye on everyone.

But why would he follow _Cam and I _into a quiet area where no one else is?

We were walking down the sidewalk now, Josh and DeeDee were a bit ahead of us.

So Cam picked that moment to whisper: "Hey, you're gonna think I'm crazy."

I smirked a little. "A little late for that Gallagher Girl."

Two women gave us the Gallagher Glare. Oh come on! Give it a rest already!

"You haven't seen anyone following us, have you?"

Oh shoot.

"You mean, besides your roommates?" I asked, laughing a bit.

Yeah, in case you were wondering, they were still following us… but from a bigger distance.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, besides them."

"No. I haven't seen anyone on our tail. Why?"

"The guy. The blue jacket." DeeDee glanced back.

Nice timing, she'll save me from Cam's speech.

As if.

"Don't you think he's _toasty_ in that heavy coat?" she finished.

I held a sigh in. Basically, she was trying to tell me he was a tail.

I turned and saw him. Yup, same guy I was thinking about.

"What about him?" I asked.

"The jacket's reversible. Ten minutes ago he was wearing it the other way. Do you think a lot of guys in Roseville take the time to reverse their jackets?"

Man, she's good.

I had to distract her. I looked around and saw some guy buying a corn dog. Eh, it works.

"Look at that guy, Gallagher Girl," I whispered. "He's a mustard disaster looking for a place to happen. I bet you anything he's got a big stain on the other side."

Okay… not my best.

So yeah, I laughed.

Aw man, she was actually buying it. Shoot.

"Now what are you two chattering about?" DeeDee asked.

There's my chance.

"Oh, Cammie was trying to convince me that I should recognize the guy in the blue jacket. But I've never seen him before in my life."

Cammie knew the message was for her. But the moment I said the words, she froze. The atmosphere tensed.

I looked over at her, to see what was wrong.

Oh shoot.

She's wearing a lie detector mood ring.

Thanks a bunch Solomon.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 8!**

**This one, for some reason, is one of my favorites. I think it was the easiest to write. I dunno.**

**Again with my speech: Hope you liked it, R&R! :P**

**-DemiSpy. **


	9. Ditched, Code Black, Reasons, and Trust

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ally Carter owns.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

Ditched, Code Black, Reasons, and Trust

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><p>You know, I still don't understand why I wasn't able to fool the stupid ring.<p>

But anyways. The moment Cammie realized my little lie, she tensed. And then she blurted: "I've got to go to the bathroom!"

_Sure Cammie… _

Man, this time I definitely blew it.

"I'll walk with you," I tried.

Ha-ha. As if she'd let me go with her. But at least I'd be able to follow her.

Still, tailing the _Chameleon…_

Why me? Sheesh…

"No," she said smiling at DeeDee. _Uh-oh… _"It's a girl thing."

_Right… and I'm a raccoon._

She took DeeDee's arm, and started walking down the sidewalk.

_What is she doing?_

"So…" Josh started.

_Oh boy…_

"So…" I said. "Jimmy."

"Josh" he corrected.

I smirked. "Right, Josh."

We stood there in silence. I was smirking the whole time, but the truth is, my mind was everywhere but there.

_Where's Cammie going? Why'd she take DeeDee? Why did she leave me here with Josh/Jimmy?_

Minutes went by. I had a feeling Cammie wasn't in the bathroom.

"Alright Zach," Josh suddenly blurted. "What's with you and Cammie?"

I smirked and crossed my arms. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Cammie's my ex" he said flatly. "But I care a lot for her. Trust me Zach, you do not want to mess with her, got it? I know her. She's not your everyday girl."

_Gee, ya think?_

"I know that. I know her. But ask this to yourself. Do you _really_ know her?"

He stayed silent.

"Thought so. Look, Josh. Think what you want, okay? I care about her as well, no matter what you think. You're right, she's not your everyday girl. She's different, and special. But do you know how?"

Again, silence.

I patted his shoulder. "I figured as much. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I just got ditched."

I started walking away, and then turned. "And I think you were too."

* * *

><p>I walked towards Gallagher, and bumped into Grant.<p>

"Grant? I thought you were staying at Gallagher with Jonas…?" I asked him.

He looked at me real serious. "We have to go to Gallagher. Fast."

I looked at him. "What happened?"

"Code Black."

_Man, this just isn't my day._

* * *

><p>We got to Gallagher. The sirens were still ringing. All Blackthorne sophomores were outside.<p>

"What happened?" I demanded.

"Code Black," Jonas answered. "Only the sophomores got out. Or well, at least we haven't found them. The rest are still locked in, I think. We saw a Gallagher van pass by a while ago, I think I saw Macey driving. I don't know anyone else who would own earrings like those. Plus, I fixed up a bit my watch, and reversed their tracking devices."

I nodded. "Where was the van headed?" I asked.

"Down there," he said, pointing to the road. "They turned on the third left. I;m pretty sure they were headed towards the abandoned company. I think Gallagher owns it. The tracker is still moving though, I don't think they've arrived just yet."

"Alright," I said. Seven sophomores weren't much, but we'd manage.

Wait a minute… I did a head count.

"Where's Dylan?" I asked.

"He said he was looking for something. He left three minutes ago."

I nodded. "We need one of the vans. If not, we'll have to run. Someone go find Dylan, and meet us outside."

Everyone started following me to the gates, when we stopped abruptly.

A van parked in front of the gates. Dylan's head popped out the window.

"Need a ride?" he said, smirking.

"Everyone in the van. Now!" I said, heading towards it.

"That's my smirk," I said, as I sat in the shotgun seat. "Move it!"

* * *

><p>We arrived at the company. It was eerily quiet.<p>

"Alright everyone. Find the girls. Be quiet. I have no clue what's going on, but I won't find out the hard way. I saw napotine patches stocked in the back, along with tools and comms. Take them, and move out."

Everyone nodded.

"Jonas. Scan the perimeter. Find alarms, cameras, anything. Be careful."

He nodded, and started taking out his iPhone. He slid off the back of it, revealing an infrared scanner.

Man, I never get tired of Jonas' tricks.

"We don't know who we're facing or what we're looking for. We do know this. Someone infiltrated Gallagher. Gallagher's most prized possession is its alumni list. If you find a CD, take it and get out of here ASAP. Got it?"

Again with the nods.

"Alright everyone, move out!"

We all scrambled outside the van. Someone passed me a bag of napotine patches, a supplies belt, see in the dark binoculars, a rappel cord and a harness, and a comms unit. I took the tools, hooked them onto the belt, and ran towards the back of the building.

_Cammie, you better be in there._

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><p>I soon realized it wasn't just <em>one <em>building, but a maze of several of them. I saw some guards pass more than once, but paid no attention and made my way through. I figured that the CD would be heavily guarded, and probably in the very center of the maze.

I didn't hear any sounds. I think I once heard one of the guys mutter something, but I couldn't make out the words.

I headed up one of the buildings, until I found myself on the roof. I had a full view of the halls below me, and I could see a bit of the interior of the building in front.

And naturally, no one could see me.

_Cammie's rubbing off on me._

I took a good look around. The center should be only a little more to the left of my current position. The rooftops were dark and silent, but if there was movement on any of them, I couldn't know.

I could see the parking lot too, and I saw another van pull in. I saw a buff silhouette I knew all too well.

_Well, seven sophomores and who knows how many juniors. I think we'll manage._

I turned my gaze back down, and saw a flash of gold. I took the binoculars, and below me, I saw the one and only Cammie Morgan.

I looked at my watch, which Jonas had upgraded in the van (in record time) and saw that two little red dots were approaching Cammie.

_Jonas, I have no clue how you do these things._

I hooked my rappel cord onto the roof, took the harness, and dropped.

I got to Cammie just as she was about to call out. I covered her mouth and took her by the waist. Then we went up.

As soon as we got to the roof, she attacked me.

"Cam," I whispered. "It's me, it's Zach."

Come to think of it, I don't think that reassured her very much.

A search light went straight beside us, and we dropped to the floor. I covered Cammie with my own body and pressed her against the wall.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you off this building right now," she whispered.

_Gee, so that's how you thank me?_

Why did she hate me? Why didn't she trust me?

Oh. Right. I _lied._

Sheesh, Dr. Steve owes me big time.

"Give me one good reason why-" she started again.

I took her by the shoulders and made her face down, just as the guards passed where she'd been standing only moments ago.

"I'll give you two."

Her eyes widened a bit, but she stayed silent as the footsteps faded.

Then, she looked at me straight in the eye. "What's going on Zach?"

She didn't let me answer, which was good since I had no clue.

"Who was that man in town?"

She took my arm and placed it behind my back, then she rolled me over on my stomach.

_Uh-oh, she's getting angry._ "How did you find this place? Who is down there and what are they going to do with the list?"

_So this really is about the list huh? _

"Well first of all, _ouch_." I hissed, but she didn't let go. "Second, I came back to school after you ditched me in town with Jimmy-"

"Josh!" she cut me off.

"I came back to school after you ditched me –thanks for that by the way. Then it's all Code Black again and your whole class was gone. We figured you'd tracked us, so we tweaked the signal so we could follow your tracking mechanism. And here we are."

"Who's we?" she asked, hardening her grip.

_What'd I do to deserve the pain? Sheesh…_

"Seriously Gallagher Girl that hurts like a –_Ow!"_

Note to self: do not tease Gallagher Girl while in a painful position. She will not hesitate to put you in more pain.

"Sophomores and some of the juniors. They're here too. They're out there with your girls."

She looked over the side of the building and started saying something into her comms.

I took my chance and shoved her off, pinning her down in the process.

_Well, looks like the tables are turning._

"Cammie," I snapped. "Look at me."

She kept on struggling.

I sighed and said gently, "Gallagher Girl."

I looked at her, hoping my eyes showed all the concern and honesty I had in me.

I wasn't here to hurt her, but she didn't think so.

I wasn't here against her, but she thought otherwise.

I was here because I cared, but she'd never believe that.

Man, my mask gets me in trouble for the first time. Lovely.

"You lied," she said simply. "I know you lied in town, Zach. I know you've seen that man who was on our tail."

_Oh come on! Why me!_

"That's what this is about?" I sighed a laugh. Sheesh… "You ditched me in town and organized a war party because I lied about knowing the guy?"

Wow Cammie. I didn't know you could jump to conclusions so easily.

"No, I organized a war party because someone knocked Mr. Mosckowitz out and stole the Gallagher Academy alumni list!" she snapped.

I blinked. Mr. Mosckowitz was knocked out?

And this was all revolving around the list after all.

The alumni list… so many covert spies' identities… in foreign hands.

Oh crud.

I loosened my grip on Cammie.

She thought I was with the bad guys. She thought I lied because I was part of the operation.

I looked at her.

I pulled her hand in front of her, the ring was still there.

"Here. Look at it," I snapped. "Or better yet, look at me. Watch my eyes Cammie. I'm not lying."

I was breathing heavily, but my heart beat was steady and I didn't feel the ring move.

"I'd seen that guy with Dr. Steve before and didn't want to blow his cover. I had no idea he was a threat. I thought he was on a training op or… I don't know… checking up on us or something. I didn't think it was a big deal."

I moved a bit until I was right beside her. "I didn't think it was worth explaining in front of…" I trailed off.

I saw something I wasn't willing to see in that moment, far off in the distance.

_Uh-oh._

"Josh and DeeDee," she finished for me.

I saw her eyes lost in thought, processing everything I'd just said. She believed me, she just couldn't make sense of it all.

Come to think of it, neither could I.

I didn't lose sight of the figure only a few feet away, but still said in a hushed voice, "We're not the bad guys, Gallagher Girl," I said, adding in my mind, _I thought you knew that._

"Then who is?" she asked.

I pointed to the figure. "Him."

Four guards stepped out a door in the building in front of us, right onto the rooftop.

"Excellent," I heard faintly.

"Dr. Steve," she said slowly. I think she was talking on comms, but I wasn't sure.

"I know, Chica. Zach's with me."

Yeah, definitely on comms.

If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, I would've laughed at the squeals I heard.

"No. Tina needs to get off Grant."

Okay, this time, I snickered a bit.

I didn't lose sight of Dr. Steve though. I heard Cammie still talking on comms.

"And bring him to the roof of the building in the northwest corner," she turned to look at me. "They've got some explaining to do."

_Sheesh, I thought we already went through that._

I kept looking over at Dr. Steve, while I heard the soft steps heading towards us. I felt Cammie's gaze on me. She was thinking on something, hard.

The Gallagher sophomore class filed in, thought Cam was still lost in her own world.

"What's going on Cam?" Bex asked, glaring holes into my back. "Want me to throw him off the roof?"

I glared right back.

"Only if he doesn't tell us what the Blackthorne Institute is and why one of their teachers is out to destroy the Gallagher Girls."

_Uh… I can't answer those. One… yeah, can't say that. The other… I have no clue._

"What do you mean? You know what our school is," Grant said.

_He better not blow it…_

"You've got your cover, we've got ours" I finally said, after seeing Cammie confused enough.

"What's that supposed to-" she started but I cut her off.

"You're the Gallagher Girls." I snapped, as it started raining. _So not my day… _I didn't blink though, I just let the water pour. I stepped closer to her. "We're the stepchild no one ever talks about."

"Then what-" she started, but was cut off again.

Just not by me.

We looked down and saw two guards step out of the building besides us, and start to patrol the grounds.

Cam looked at me real serious. "He can't get away. That list can't get away."

"It won't," I said as serious.

I walked to the edge of the building and attached my harness to one of the cables that went down the building.

"We've got to go now Cam," I said, sticking out my hand, holding on to the cable with the other. "Do you trust me?"

She took my hand, and I took one last look at my classmates, who were staring at us.

Just… staring.

I took Cammie by the waist, and headed down.

_This isn't over yet,_ was my last thought as we plunged the darkness with only each other and the hum of the rappel cord's soft hum as company.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Chapter 9! One chapter left!**

**Thinking up the title for this was painful... for some reason. :P**

**Funny, I just noticed. Chapter 9 is _9_ pages on Word…. Haha :P**

**I hope you liked it, R&R!**

**-DemiSpy**


	10. I'll be back Gallagher Girl

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ally Carter owns.**

**Claimer: I own anything else.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

_-I'll be back Gallagher Girl, you just wait._

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><p>Cammie and I stepped down onto the grass between buildings. It was so dark outside, I was thankful for it. That, and the rain. It would've been a cool movie scene, come to think of it.<p>

I think I was thinking a bit too much on the movie thing, 'cause I suddenly saw Cammie heading to the metal door, crouching low.

"What are you _doing_?" I hissed.

Too late. She banged on the door, and then said in the strangest masculine voice ever: "Hey, can one of you guys come and give me a hand with this?"

I looked at her. She's got to be kidding me!

Some guy came out the door. I was braced for the worst until I realized what Cammie was doing. She took him by the collar of his shirt and punched him, then place a Napotine patch on his forehead.

"Nice one," I said. _Not to mention lucky._ "Did you learn that in PE?"

"No. _Buffy the Vampire Slayer._"

Right…

Cammie studied the man for a moment, recognition flashing in her eyes. Only a while later I realized I'd seen this man in town before.

She's a really good pavement artist… not that I'd tell her anytime soon.

She dragged him towards some tall weeds and I helped her inspect his pockets.

"Comms," she said, handing them over. I pulled them in and stayed silent, waiting for any sound coming from it.

Cammie started saying something into her comms unit, when I heard something in the man's.

"We have several groups of men heading over to the meeting area. Seven in group A and seven in group B. Group C is yet to confirm," an unknown voice whispered into my ear.

I leaned over to Cam and whispered: "They've got at least fifteen guys."

"What do you hear?" she asked.

I held up a finger, as I suddenly heard something else.

"The chopper is approaching the meeting area. Prepare to board. Stand by."

"What is it Zach?" Cam asked. I didn't answer for a second, waiting for any other information.

"What's going-" I cut her off, realizing the man had shut up.

"Cammie, listen to me." I said. "I don't know where he's going, or what Dr. Steve's planning to do with that list, but…" I stopped, and looked up, seeing just what I expected. "…I think I know how he's getting there."

I turned her head to face the blinking red light.

The chopper.

"Guys," Cammie whispered into her comms, her gaze never leaving the chopper. "We've got a change of plans."

* * *

><p>To say our plan was rushed… was an understanding.<p>

And it might've been a good movie scene too, especially when Bex jumped off the roof, flattening a guard and tripping one with a swift motion of her leg.

"They're here!" the man yelled as he fell, but the warning was a tad bit late.

Gallagher Girls started to rain down the roof, along with most of my classmates. The buzz of rappel-a-cord was the only sound for a second, until I heard the voice in the comms again.

"Three guys are coming around the south side of the building-go!" I yelled at Bex and Grant when the voice shut up again.

I heard Cammie say something to Liz, and turned to see the petite blond in a forklift, searching the buttons.

_Well that promises to turn out interesting._

I then saw her jump out of the cab and onto a man that had been after Eva Alvarez.

I saw my classmates fighting like there was no tomorrow. I saw one of the seniors handling three guards at once.

I saw so many things, while doing only one.

Fighting.

I fought for everything that had been happening. My possible incrimination of the Code Black and Cammie's blame on it. Mr. Mosckowitz passed out. Cammie blaming me of Dr. Steve's treason and my anger towards him.

I fought and watched, until the chopper landed.

And out came the man I'd been so useful in covering back at Roseville.

I was about to go attack him when Liz when soaring through the air –straight into the man, flattening him without any effort.

I saw a guard go straight to Liz, but I stepped in between in time to take a punch to the side of my face. I turned to glare and finish the guard off, when I saw Cammie looking straight at me.

I held my face while pointing to Dr. Steve, and yelled: "Go!"

I saw Cammie reach Dr. Steve when I was attacked again.

And then I was surrounded.

_Cammie… hurry up will you?_

I attacked and punched, and then turned to see Cammie holding the disk, Mr. Solomon next to Dr. Steve, and Bex holding said Dr. in a very painful looking chokehold.

"Are you okay Dr. Sanders?" Solomon asked.

What?

"You," Cammie said in a voice I'd never heard. Hurt, fierce, defiant.

And naturally, furious.

"You did this?" she asked.

"Well," Solomon said. "I had some help."

And that's when I saw and heard the last thing I would've expected.

No wait, the second last thing. The last thing would've been a clown coming out of the chopper and everyone starting to dance.

I saw Headmistress Morgan come out to join Solomon, smiling. "Good job everyone."

Huh?

She turned to Bex. "Rebecca?"

She loosened her grip only a bit, and I saw Dr. Steve inhale and exhale deeply.

Solomon checked his watch. "Forty-two minutes. Not bad." He turned and said to no one, "What do you think, Harvey?"

Mr. Mosckowitz appeared.

_Um… isn't he supposed to be... unconscious? At school?_

"Hi girls," he said. "How'd I do?"

Oh great.

_Now_ I get it.

Apparently, so did Cammie.

"It… It was…. A test?" she stuttered.

"Our job isn't to get you ready for tests, Ms. Morgan," Solomon said. "Our job is to get you ready for life."

Then the lights came on.

"So you wanted to see if we could do it for real?" Tina asked.

"No," Headmistress Morgan said. "We had to see if you could do it-" she looked at my classmates and then back at the Gallagher students. "Together."

I just stood there, stunned. Not like I was the only one though.

Solomon's voice rang in the air as the teachers walked away. "Oh… and welcome to Sublevel Two."

* * *

><p>That night, Dr. Steve came in our dorm and told us to pack.<p>

We were leaving.

I didn't want to, and I doubt anyone else did.

Blackthorne… it seemed so foreign to me now.

This wasn't over yet. Mom was planning something, I just knew it.

This wasn't the end, it was only the beginning.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Cammie reached me while standing in front of the large doors.<p>

"You're already packed," was all she said.

I smiled at her. "We've all got baggage."

She pointed to the bruise on my face. "That looks bad."

I shook my head, remembering the punch I at first thought of as a slap. "It isn't. He-"

"Hits like a girl?" she teased me.

I held her gaze and said softly, "Not the girls I know."

_Not even close._

She started to turn and walk away, when I grinned to myself and said, "Oh, and Cammie."

She turned around.

I took her in my arms, and dipped her in front of everyone.

Then I kissed her.

I won't go all mushy here… that's not my specialty.

But in short words, I think this moment was, up to now, the highlight of my life.

I leaned away slowly, and smiled. "I always finish what I start."

_But that's only one of the reasons why I kissed you, don't get your hopes up_, I thought, mentally smirking.

I stepped toward the door when I heard her say, "So this is good-bye?"

_Yeah right._

"Come on Gallagher Girl," I said, winking. "What would be the odds of that?"

I turned around and walked into the van.

She never looked back.

But I did.

I looked back at her. I looked back on this semester. The exam. Roseville and Jimmy. The secret passages and all the secrets that hung between us.

I looked back on everything we did, on everything I did. Everything that I'd done this semester was in the past. But it lingered in my mind.

I looked back on all the bugging and videotaping I'd done. All the information I'd learnt.

I knew better than to let it all go. It'd come back.

And whenever it did, it'd be for another purpose, for the better, or for the worst.

Whatever Mom had in mind, I'd find out. I'd act and tag along. I knew something was on her mind. I never said anything. But in Roseville, I recognized far more people than I should've.

Something's going on, though what, I don't know.

So I looked back on those doors and whispered to myself, "I'll be back Gallagher Girl, you just wait."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**It's Over!**

**I'm going to upload my original Goodbye AN, since I think that's something veery special.**

**I hope you overall liked the story, whether you were with me from the beginning or if you just found it. Hope to see you in the next story!**

**Oh, and about the title, I literally took out all the importance of all the events of this chapter, and focused on that little quote... since I think those were the most important words overall from this story. Don't you agree? :P**

**-DemiSpy.**


	11. Thankyou, Sequel, Goodbye

**AN.**

Guys… I dunno how to thank you. Seriously, I don't.

You're amazing readers, throughout the whole story, I only got 1 flamer. It was about my long ANs… not the stoy, not about OOC Zach, or about a mistake. I got CC on those things, and whoever sent it, I'm soo thankful.

All your reviews made me push harder until I finished. And I did.

I'm really happy you all liked the story. I'm happy that you think I'm a good writer and that I'm good with Zach's POV.

Which is why I've decided to continue.

The Zach's Way of Things Series has been born.

Lol, that was dramatic.

Anyways, I will be doing at least Only the Good Spy Young. Once I finish that one, I will move on to Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, if I get inspired for it.

See, Zach hardly comes out in DJG, so I'd have to make everything up. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. So I'm giving you OGSY, and while I write it, I'll be thinking on DJG. Sounds good?

I once had a poll up for this, and I won't lie to you, my version of DJG won. But I seriously don't have any _good_ inspiration for it. So I won't give you a lame story, and instead will take my time to think on it. Okay?

Note: The reviews I get from last chapter will be answered in PMs, so this is goodbye from this fic.

Last thing, I will post the next story in a while okay? I'm going to take a break, and maybe re-read the enxt books to see what mysterious Zach sounds like (since we all know he changed WAAY too much along the course of the books). I won't take more than 3 weeks, promise. I just want to relax and only have the pressure of 1 fic on me for a while. 3 weeks tops. Promise!

I think it should be up around the veery beginning of August, so stay tuned for that!

I hope you'll stick with me, I can't wait for the next fic. I hope you know how much you all mean to me, and I hope you come back and re-read the story someday, and still like it.

I hope those who find this story someday far from today (July 13, 2011) like it, and any comments or questions on it will still be answered as long as they appear in my email.

Goodbye for the last time on this fic, I hope to see you in the next one,

**-DemiSpy :P**

* * *

><p><strong>Updated (811/11)**

I just posted OGSY. When I finish it, I'll see if I do DJG or not. In the meantime, I hope you stick with me for OGSY!

-Which, will be fun but hard... I have a gut feeling about it :P

Oh... and I did fix the story up. It's now ten chapters only, instead of seventeen. Hope you like this version of it. Same thing, but better :D

-DemiSpy


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